Harry Breaks Free
by Fairywm
Summary: Rewriting the rewrite to hopefully get over the writer's block. Harry feels there is more he can do with his life. He is not sure how. A night time visit from Kreacher helps him along his way. After OoTP: mostly stays in canon until the last few chapters. This is an Independent Frugal Harry.
1. The Midnight Visit

**Chapter 1: The Midnight Visit**

_I just reread this and for a rewrite it was appalling. There were commas where there never should have been. To get me out of my funk, I'm rewriting it again this date, 12/31/2015. I hope to make it better… again. I'm sure I still missed some, commas are not my friend. I'm not using any new or old betas for this in hopes that I can do it alone. That might change._

_This is going to be close to canon, with a close to canon Harry (which according to my poll, no one likes). Maybe with this rewrite, he won't be a wuss._

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Harry Potter wiki (which is where I do most of my research) Harry Potter is own by J.K. Rowling, and all the people that she paid to make her rich. Wikia, Inc. was created from the minds of Angela Beesley, and Jimmy Wales, and supported, and written by fans.**

**Hphphp**

The fifteen year old Harry sat in his window of his bedroom contemplating. It had been a horrible year at Hogwarts, with the torturous detentions with Umbridge, the mind-ra… Occlumency lessons with Snape and then Sirius dying, it couldn't have been worse. Though it took weeks and much crying, he had gone through the cycles of grief (shock, denial, anger, and guilt, despair, and depression, and then acceptance) after the death of his godfather. It had been a rough three weeks since the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries. Now with the Prophecy hanging over his head, he was reviewing his life as he stared at the night sky. Glancing at the clock he could see it was going on midnight.

Something had to change. He couldn't win this war by luck alone, which is what had seen him through all his years at school. He wasn't stupid enough to think he had survived on skill. Now, he was wondering what he could do to get that skill, but what could he do? He needed to look over his past to understand where he was to go in the future.

Going back over his time at Hogwarts, he found that he was being manipulated by the Headmaster. Subtle things from his choice of house to his choice of friends, while not drastic things he needed to get some control over his own life. However, what could he do stuck in his relatives' home? Relatives that Dumbledore, himself, had said knew would give Harry 'ten dark and lonely years'. He growled at that and hit the window pane in frustration.

_How could I find anything out from here? How could I see what was going on in the wizarding world when I'm not a part of it?_ were his fleeting thoughts. If last year taught him that he needed to know what was going on if he was to survive.

_I need somewhere to hide, and train. I need time. I need more control over my magic, maybe more power…_ Harry paused in his thoughts, tripping silently over that last word. _Power — the Dark Lords equal. This would mean I'm as powerful as Voldemort, doesn't it? If we're equals why don't I feel as powerful as he does? Maybe something was wrong. Perhaps I should see a healer. But then again, Madam Pomfrey never noticed anything or maybe she has, and she reported it to Dumbledore, and…_

A loud pop interrupted his midnight musings. Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it at the intruder, ready to cast any spell in his albeit small arsenal. "Kreacher," the teen spat, pure venom dripping off that one word, "what the bloody hell are you doing in my room?" he never thought he'd see this hated being again. He had hoped the vile creature died.

"Blood-traitor Master has ordered poor Kreacher to give this letter to the half-blood Master. Poor Kreacher has no choice, but to obey. How my Mistress wails that the Ancient and Noble House of Black is now ruled by a half-blood. Poor Mistress," the ugly, ill dressed, house elf grumbled.

"Shut up, Kreacher. Where is this letter? Why didn't you bring it, sooner? Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you," Harry grit out, hatred clear in his eyes. Only his sense of right, and wrong stayed his hand, though a million thoughts of how to torture, and kill this… creature flew through his head. This miserable thing had played a vital role to the death of Sirius.

"Blood-traitor Master is telling Kreacher to wait three weeks after the bond shifted before bringing the letter," the old house elf sneered.

"What bond?" came the confused question.

"Half-blood Master is now Kreacher's Master. The Mistress is, so upset." The elf started wailing, only for Harry to tell him to be quiet again. His devotion to that painting of Sirius' mother was disturbing.

"Where is this letter?" Harry asked again, finally putting his wand back into place as he considered what he had just been told. _Bonded with Kreacher? What the hell am I supposed to do with him?_ He gave a full body shudder at the thought. He didn't want to have anything to do with this… traitor.

Kreacher reached under his filthy, ragged pillowcase and handed Harry the envelope.

The teen took it and glanced down. It was Sirius's handwriting, curved, and eloquent for a man who had spent, so long in prison. Harry looked sadly at the envelope, unshed tears forming in his eyes, because even though he had gone through the psychological cycles, he still missed his godfather. "Kreacher," he said, thinking about how he could get away from this… being, "I want you to go back to Grimmauld Place and I want you to do your job, and clean it. Wait, belay that. Dobby," the teen called his excitable friend.

The green-eyed house elf popped into view not two moments after his name had been called. The elf blinked, and smiled brightly at the wizard he was quite proud to call his friend. "What can Dobby be doing for the Great Harry Potter, sir?"

Harry had to hold back his laughter since the tiny being was dressed in childlike clothing, with many hats purchased on his head, and wearing socks that gathered on his spindly feet. "Dobby, I want to hire you. I'll double whatever Hogwarts pays you and you'll have one day off a week, plus you can wear all the clothes you want," he offered, thinking that Dobby would love some work. Hogwarts must be dead boring during the summer.

"Ah, sir, you can't be hiring Dobby," the house elf stated with an excited look on his face, albeit he looked a little concerned. It was a strange combination.

Harry frowned at this news. "What, why not?" he questioned with a tilt of his head, not understanding why he couldn't do this favor for his little friend.

"Harry Potter is already owning Dobby," came the shy reply, he glanced up to his master to see how he took that news.

"What? When did that happen?" Now Harry was very confused, thinking he'd remember such a ceremony.

Dobby looked down at the floor, and started pulling his ears. "Dobby is very sorry, Harry Potter, but Dobby was dying and he is knowing the Great Harry Potter would save Dobby. So Dobby is bounding himself and Harry Potter together, sir," the little elf explained with a hopeful gleam in his huge eyes.

"Dying? Why were you dying?" Harry asked in confusion. He hated not knowing when one of his friends was hurting. This was another reason why he wanted to make sure he was getting information as to what was happening in the wizarding world. People kept hiding things from him, even his friends it seemed.

"If a house elf is not being bonded, they will be dying slowly. If Dobby did not bind himself to the Great Harry Potter he would be dead by next year." That hopeful look never left those big green eyes.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. Don't worry, Dobby, I'm not mad," he said, hoping to take that slight fear out of his buddy's eyes. Then he had a thought, "How'd you do this without me knowing?" Harry was not sure how all of this made him feel; on one hand it saved Dobby, on the other hand, he now owned two slaves. But, were they really slaves? If it was a symbiotic relationship, then what exactly was the relationship? He was brought back from his musing by Dobby.

"Dobby did ask Harry Potter," the elf stated earnestly. "Dobby asked Harry Potter last year, before Harry Potter was going to see his Paddy on Christmas break. Dobby asked Harry Potter, if Harry Potter could be owning a house elf would he be owning Dobby. Then you be saying yes and we is being bonded. Dobby is, sorry sir, Dobby will iron his feet as punishment," Dobby wailed loudly, big droplets of tears cascading down his wrinkled face.

"No, Dobby, stop wailing. You'll wake everyone. If you're my house elf, then you'll not punish yourself. That goes for you, too, Kreacher," Harry added, glancing over at the first house elf. Kreacher turned away and grumbled, so the wizard turned back to his green-eyed friend. "Dobby, how is Winky?" he asked, if they needed to be bonded then the female house elf must be suffering.

"Winky is not good, sir. She is not working and is only drinking butterbeer all day long. Dobby is trying to talk to her, but she is throwing bottles at Dobby," Dobby answered crestfallen, thinking his female peer would have naught but a year or so to live at this rate.

Harry noted his friend's sad face and came to the conclusion that he'd help, but he really did not want have to deal with a drunken house elf in the middle of the night. However, he could not leave her like that either. "Dobby, is there any way you can restrain her so I can ask her if she wants to bond? However, I don't want a drunken house elf waking the family. Then again, I don't want to leave her like that. If she is important to you, then I'll help," he said, echoing his thoughts and placing a hand on the excitable house elf's shoulder.

"Dobby is doing this right away, sir." And with a pop he was gone, leaving Harry's hand hanging in midair, until he smiled and dropped it.

Harry looked at Kreacher. _What am I to do with him?_

Kreacher looked back at Harry, and the mutual hatred could be seen in both their eyes.

"Just stand there, and be quiet," the teen spat at the hated being.

Kreacher glared at his new owner, but sullenly did as he was ordered.

Harry looked at the letter still in his hand. Wondering if he should read it now or wait until the house elf situation was, sorted? The matter was taken out of his hand when Dobby and a bound Winky popped into his room. There were no physical bindings, which he could see, but the fact that she did nothing, but plop herself down on her rump instead of tottering to stand obediently in front of him, gave him proof enough that his directions had been followed.

The dark haired wizard looked at the half sober Winky and noted that her pink dress was stained with spilled butterbeer. _Should I do this?_ The thought was entertained for no more than a few moments before he addressed the new house elf. "Winky, Dobby tells me you're not happy being free. Do you want to be bond with me? Just nod your head for yes or give it a shake for no," was the soft command. He would leave it up to her whether or not to bond, but from the look in her large blue eyes when he asked, he was pretty sure what the answer would be.

Winky's eyes widened and she nodded her head so hard that the young man was concerned that she might hurt something. She looked at her would-be master and there was hope in those eyes.

"Dobby, is she sober?" he asked, wanting to make absolutely sure that she was making her decision with a clear head.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is making her, sober. Dobby is a good house elf and is doing what Master is telling him to be doing," the little elf answered with a hint of pride. His tiny chest puffed at the thought that he was doing something for Harry Potter for the first time.

The green-eyed youth turned back to Winky. Her eyes were filled with trepidation, hope, longing, and caution. "Can you make so she can talk? I want to make absolutely sure she knows what is going on." his gaze never left the pink clad house elf.

Dobby snapped his fingers and Winky wasted no time to start talking. "Is Harry Potter really wanting Winky? Winky is a good house elf. Winky is not liking being free. Winky did nothing wrong. Winky is wanting a family. Why is Harry Potter wanting Winky?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, not understanding why the teen wanted a free elf. Then she looked at Dobby and a small bit of understand flitted through her still muddled brain.

"Winky, is it true that you'll die if you're unbounded?" Harry asked, ignoring the other questions for now. He crouched down to stare in to her large blue eyes, showing he was serious.

"Yes, Harry Potter sir, this is being true." She nodded her head as she began to further understand that this was a good human and only concerned for her health.

"Then I won't let that happen. How do we bond?" he asked, looking between the two not angry elves, ignoring Kreacher for now. He knew from the explanation that Dobby had given earlier that it wasn't that complicated, but since he had been basically tricked into it, well it was better to ask.

"Winky is asking Harry Potter does he want to bond with Winky. And Harry Potter is saying yes or no," Winky said in wide-eyed wonder. There was a sparkle in her eye that Harry was sure she had not had since she had practically been chucked out of her last house.

"Ask then," Harry stated firmly. That coincided with what Dobby said and he was glad it wasn't something over the top.

The awestruck Winky trembled within her bonds. Practically vibrating across the floor she questioned, solemnly, "Does Harry Potter want to bond with Winky?"

"Yes, Winky, I'll bond with you," the teen said with a big smile.

Winky shrieked with happiness, bouncing up and down within the limits of her bonds. She was just so ecstatic that she had a master. Now, she was a proper elf.

"Shhh," Harry warned as he cast a look towards his door. Thankfully, it remained closed and the house stayed dark. "Quiet, Winky, or you'll wake my Uncle."

Winky stopped the joyful noise immediately. "Sorry, Master Harry Potter sir." The little female elf hopped over to the wardrobe and started banging her head against it violently. Her new master pulled her back as the noise bounced off the walls of the silent house.

_Seriously, how many house elves hit themselves against the head for punishment?_ _What was with the obsession? _Harry wondered as he took his new friend and placed her on the floor."Winky, stop. My house elves don't punish themselves. Stop now," he demanded in a harsh whisper, hoping she didn't wake his godforsaken relatives. "Dobby, be so kind as to let her go. Winky, I need you to keep calm and not make a lot of noise. My relatives wouldn't be happy with all of you in my room."

Winky stopped and turned to her new master. Why was he, so kind to Winky? With a snap of Dobby's fingers she was free.

Harry listened with bated breath for noises of movement outside his room. All he could hear was snores. Breathing a sigh of relief, he figured now it was time to empty his room. Though his relatives were not physically abusive (well, except his oversized cousin Dudley) they had quite a temper and the teenager really did not want to be locked in his room for the remainder of the summer.

"Dobby, Winky I want you to go to Hogwarts in the morning and tell the Headmaster you've found work and you'll be leaving. Don't tell him where, just tell him that you found a family. After that, I want you to go to Grimmauld Place, Kreacher should already be there. I don't think anyone is there, but try not to attract attention. As a matter of fact, don't let anyone see you if you can help it," he ordered softly, not wanting to come across as a hard master. "In the meantime, Kreacher, Winky, I need you two to clean up and put something presentable on and then could all three of you clean the attic? Remove all the Dark objects and put them in a trunk. If you fill that trunk, then find another.

"Oh wait, if Buckbeak is still there, can you set him free? If you can pop him to the Forbidden Forest, then do that, please. Hey, can you pop people?" the tired messy haired wizard inquired, thinking that poor Buckbeak must be dying of either boredom or lack of food being cooped up alone Mrs. Black old bedroom. Hippogriffs should not be locked up, but should be free, and flying — Harry doubted that the Ministry was still looking for one average colored Hippogriff.

Dobby response was swift, "Yes, Harry Potter, house elves can pop people and anything a master is wanting moved."

"Good to know," Harry said before he continued. "Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, Buckbeak. Get him to the Forest, okay? Kreacher as your punishment for lying, and getting your Master killed,"—he ignored the gasps and looks of horror that came from Dobby and Winky—"you're to take down the portrait of Mrs. Black and move it to the attic when you're done cleaning up there. You're never to go up there again. You'll take orders from only me. Not the Order or any other portrait in the house. If, someone orders you to do something, check with me first. Dobby, Winky, since only I'm to know you're there, I want you to ask me if someone calls you and give you an order, but since you're going to tell Dumbledore that you have a new family, that shouldn't happen, but better safe than sorry."

"Kreacher must be doing as the half-blood Master is telling him. Kreacher is not liking this and the Mistress will not be happy," Kreacher mumbled angrily. His already grumpy features took a severe downturn when his new half-blood Master had mentioned the moving of Mrs. Black's portrait.

Harry suddenly felt he had to take more drastic measures and reaffirm his new status to the ugly house elf. "Kreacher, the only three people you'll ever speak to, until I tell you otherwise, are in this room. Until you can talk with respect, you'll not voice aloud, mumble, or communicate in any way with anyone outside of this room. Do you understand?" the teenager said heatedly, his green eyes glared at the hated being.

"Kreacher is understanding the half-blood." His grey eyes glared right back, but orders were orders. He would miss his Mistress and his shrunken heart was breaking on the inside. His scowl intensified at that thought.

"I'd like the attic cleaned and that portrait off the wall by tomorrow night. I don't care if you have to take half the wall to do it. Dobby, if he does have to tear up the wall, can you make sure it's replaced? And make look like no damage was done?" the young wizard said.

"Yes, sir, Harry Potter, I can be doing all these things," the excitable house elf answered, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his many hat swayed with the motion.

"Good. Winky, I'd like you to set Buckbeak free first and then help clean the attic. Make sure you take care of yourselves, including resting and eating. Then in when the attic is done, Kreacher you need to find everything the Order threw out. Dobby, I need you to see if you can ban Mundungus out of the house. I don't want that thief to be in there. Winky, you start on the next floor down," Harry gave orders, making sure to look at the elf he was addressing.

"Dobby will be seeing if hes can. If not, then maybes he will be asking Kreacher," the smallest elf said, looking at the older elf questioningly.

Kreacher looked back and reluctantly nodded his head.

"Good, do what you can," Harry said. "Now, all of you have your orders, so I need you to go now. Report back to me—if I'm alone—when all of this is done."

Three pops, two exclamations of 'Yes, sir!', and one disapproving grunt later, the room was empty.

The tired wizard looked at the clock. 12:43 a.m. He glanced at the envelope that was still in his hand. He knew would not be able to sleep until he read it. With a longing look at his bed and a slightly depressed sigh, he pulled out two pieces of parchment. The first one read:

_**Harry, **_

_** If you're reading this, and Kreacher followed my orders then I've been dead for three weeks. I made him wait that long in hopes you got over my death. Please, don't mourn for me long, try and remember the happy times. Know that I loved you like my own son. Well, truth be told, you **__**are**__** my son. **_

_** Remember when I asked you for some of your blood? I told you it was for a potion for you? Then I gave you that potion and told you it was for your health? Well, it was for a blood adoption. Since you gave your blood willingly, I could do this. I don't want you to think I am trying to replace your parents because I swear I'm not. Lily and James will always be your parents, it just that now you have two fathers.**_

_**Sorry that I didn't tell you, but since you don't know **_Occlumency_** I had to keep it secret. Since I'm now dead it will all come out in the will reading. I have some very good reasons for doing what I did, besides the fact that I do truly love you like a son. **_

_** One of those reasons is so Malfoy Jr. will not inherit my title and fortune. You see Draco was next in line if I had no children. With me on the run and no ladies around… well, you get the picture. Do you really want that kind of power and money to go to a family in league with Voldemort? And what a great prank to play on them. I wish I could see their faces! But I can't, since I've been dead for a while.**_

_** The second reason is to give you a chance to break free of Dumbledore. Don't get me wrong he is a great man and a powerful wizard, but he doesn't seem to have your best interest at heart. He told me he cares about you, but I know that he's is setting you up to fail. I'm not sure what his plans are, but you're not expected to live. **_

_**Now these are only suspicions, but from the few conversations I've heard around Headquarters I feel I'm right. If I am not then it will still get you away from your awful relatives. I know that that it is something you've wanted for a long time and I know that it is something Albus won't let happen. Now that you are my son, I've made arrangements to make sure you are emancipated when my will is read, then he won't have a say in where you live. **_

_** Get to Gringotts. Claim your title. Talk to the head goblin, Ragnot, if you can. Have them arrange a healer to scan you. I think there is a block on your core. I know James had to put one on you as a baby—it's standard practice if the baby is strong magically. I don't think it's been removed. If you need to, tell Kreacher to take you. **_

_** I wanted to do so much with you. Teach you how to be a Lord (or a Head of House as it's also called), teach you how to pull pranks, and give you the Little Wizard talk. Now you will have to find, someone else. I recommend Remus. He'll always be trustworthy, and—as much as it pains me to even write this—in the event of my death, he'll be your father's last living friend. Pettigrew doesn't count, that cowardly traitor.**_

_** Harry, I really don't want you to blame yourself. I don't know how I'll die, but I have a feeling it will be soon. I'm close to cracking as it is. Azkaban did me no favors and being in my mother's house is not helping.**_ _**Besides, there's a limit one person can take and I've reached it. So, I know I'll most likely do something stupid soon. My choices are my own and no one makes them for me. **_

_** Remember I love you and again don't mourn me long. But please try to talk to someone. It helps.**_

_** Love always,**_

_** Sirius Orion Black**_

_** P.S. You're a famous wizard, Harry, and it might be time to stop hiding. Use the press to put you in a good light. If I remember correctly, you own a good share of the Prophet. Use that**_ _**to your advantage. Get your side heard. Get a solicitor.**_

_** P.P.S. The second letter is a copy of my will so, if for some reason you cannot make the reading, you'll know what it says. No one can take this from you, Harry. You are my son. I had Kreacher take me to Gringotts and update my will so it will directly reflect that and you can inherit everything, the titles, the money and everything that comes with being the Head of the Black family. Do with this what you will, but try to bring the family name at least into the grey area and out of the black (pun intended). You will be in charge and hold a lot of power, use it wisely. **_

Harry put the letter down, tears running down his face and a lump in his throat. Sirius loved him enough to make him his son. All doubts fled his mind. He picked up the copy of the will and scanned it. Other than a few monetary allotments to Remus, Tonks, and the Weasley family, and some books for Snape and Hermione, nothing seemed to be leaving the House. There were a few people added or removed from the Black family and he was glad that he didn't have to do it. Other than that, it was all his; including the money, the houses, the title, and all the possession with in the vaults.

He would give it all back everything to have Sirius here.

_I'll always miss you Sirius,_ he thought. _I'll mourn the fact that we didn't know each other better. But I'll do as you suggested._

He put the letters back in the envelope and placed it under the loose floor board under his bed. The now exhausted teenager laid down, put his glasses on the nightstand, and fell into a restless sleep.

**Hphphp**

**AN: the changes are many in this chapter, but what was made hopefully make you reading more pleasurable.**

**I just reread this and for a rewrite it was appalling, there were commas where there never should have been, so to get me out of my funk, I'm rewriting it again this date, 12/31/2015. I hope to make it better… again. I'm sure I still missed some, commas are not my friend. This is going to be close to canon, with a canon and Light Harry. Maybe with this rewrite, he won't be a wuss. **


	2. The Headmaster and the Goblin

**Chapter 2: The Headmaster and The Goblins **

_I'm still attempting to make this a better read. There aren't as many mistakes in this chapter, but I reworded and reorganized some of the paragraphs and sentences. Again, I'm trying to do this beta free. Let me know if it is flowing well. Remember this was the rewrite of my first fic, which I'm rewriting. _

_I've used this note before in A Brand New Start, but it hold true with this fic as well. I hate writing Dumbledore, not that I can't get his speech correct, but, because no matter how I write him I get reviews saying I'm doing him wrong. So I'll just say this, in this story Dumbledore is an old man who thinks he is always right and going to get his way. He is not evil or anything, just hubris. _

**Hphphp **

Later that same morning, Albus Dumbledore was standing in the dark and dreary kitchen of #12 Grimmauld Place. The Order of the Phoenix had not used it since Sirius's death as they were unsure who the current owner was. Dumbledore was here to test a theory, so he cast a _lumos_ and the lights came on, which didn't help lighten the dark colored room much. "Kreacher," the old man called.

Seconds later there was a 'pop' and the much cleaner house elf stood in the kitchen.

"Kreacher, who is your new Master?" the Headmaster asked, stroking his long white beard.

Kreacher was silent as he glared at the Half-blood muggle-lover. His Mistress would hate the fact that he had to answer his call. He stood there with his arms folded, not talking as he had been ordered.

Dumbledore smiled. "Come now, Kreacher, you can tell me," he said in his grandfather voice.

Kreacher remained silent.

The retired professor raised an eyebrow. "Can you come with me, Kreacher?"

Again nothing was said by the somehow mute house elf as he stood firm, not communicating in anyway.

Albus sighed. There really was only one other way to test this and he left the house and with a 'crack' was gone. A few minutes later the brightly dressed old wizard was outside #4 Privet drive. He made his way to the front door and let himself in the house (not at all worried about the fact that he was breaking the law). He quietly went up the stairs, musing on the fact that the blood wards won't let anyone but Harry _Apparate_ into the house. He was soon in front of Harry's room his eyebrows raised at all the locks. At least five hung from the door, but as they were not engaged, he paid no more attention to them.

The old man vaguely worried for a minute about young man's relatives and what they would do should he be discovered, but since it was quite early in the morning he knew they, and Harry, would be sound asleep so he shook it off. He opened the door to Harry's room and made his way to the young man's bed. Gently, the Headmaster shook him awake. "Harry, my boy, can you wake for just a moment?"

"Professor?" Harry asked upon waking as he grabbed his glasses off the nightstand, rather clumsily. His eyes widened at the fact that the Headmaster was in his room, judging from the lack of light it must still be night. _When does he sleep? _He wondered.

"Yes, Harry. Shhh, we do not want to wake your relatives," Dumbledore said softly as he waved his wand and cast a ward to keep the noise in the room. He then conjured himself a comfy, floral chair and sat down. The old man watched as the young man yawned widely, not at all disturbed that he woke someone so early.

"What time is it?" Harry asked quietly. His eyelids fluttered and opened as he awoke, having only just gone to sleep a few hours earlier. He struggled to sit up in his bed, rubbed his eyes under his glasses, to help with get the sleep out so he could see the early morning intruder.

"Just past 4 a.m., my boy," Albus answered brightly, as if it was perfectly normal to break into someone's house and wake them up at that time. "I apologize for waking you, my boy, but I was wondering if you would do something for me. You see the Order is not using Sirius's old place as we are unsure who owns it. The next in line for the Black family is Draco Malfoy. However, Sirius might have insured it so that you own Grimmauld Place, if simply to keep it out of the hands of the Malfoys. To test if this is the case, I was hoping you would call Kreacher to you," he requested with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"What would that prove? I mean, he comes when anyone calls," Harry asked in confusion as he avoided looking at the Headmaster with a very convincing yawn, not wanting the old man to read his mind. _I don't think I should let him know about Sirius's letter. He might try and stop me from going to the will reading. Well, that and Sirius said some unkind things about the man. _

"While that is very true, Harry, your godfather may have left you the house and Kreacher with it. If this is so then Kreacher would have to do as you say. So I would like you call him here and order him to do something and he if he obeys then we will know that it was fact. Would you do this for me?" the old man stroked his beard and peered over his half-moon spectacles.

"You do know, sir, I despise that vile house elf. I'm dead sure he feels the same," the young man said, narrowing his eyes at the old man's crooked nose. '_Wonder why he never got that fixed,' _came the non-sequestered thought.

The Headmaster smile gently and said, "I know, my dear boy, all the more reason for you to call him. If he does what you say, knowing how each of you feels, then there will be no doubt."

"Yeah, that might work. Kreacher," Harry called softly, not daring to attempt anything louder.

With a familiar 'pop', Kreacher appeared. "Half-blood scum is calling Kreacher."

"Shut it, Kreacher," Harry said as he jabbed his finger at the old elf's chest. "I want you to… clean my room," he demanded, grasping the first thing to come to his half-awake mind.

"Kreacher must do as Master says." And with a snap of his fingers the room straightened itself out and was very clean. There wasn't much to do anyway; the Dursleys almost never gave him anything worth keeping. And he didn't dare spend money on anything in fear they would find out about his vault.

"Go back to what you were doing, Kreacher." And with a glare and another 'pop', Kreacher was gone. "Did that answer your question, sir?" Harry asked, this time looking just above the Headmasters right ear.

"Indeed it did, my boy. We now know you own Grimmauld Place. This is very good news indeed." The Headmaster's face lit up with pleasure. "Do you suppose we could still use it for Order meetings and a safe haven, Harry? I promise, we will endeavor to keep the place in order," he asked, quite satisfied with these findings.

"Of course, sir. Do you know when I can go there? I'd like to leave here as soon as possible." The young man stopped, as if in thought. "Do you know when the will reading is, sir?" he asked, wanting to see if the old man would answer.

"I feel one more week here should do it for the blood wards. Alas, I do not know the exact date for the reading. But do not worry too much about it, Harry. I will stand in your stead and inform you of what you need to know," Dumbledore said in his grandfather voice. It was a tone of voice that Harry quickly found himself coming to hate.

"I'd like to be there anyway, sir. I've a right to know. I'll be _very_ upset if I can't attend," Harry stated firmly.

Dumbledore seemed to be in thought for a moment, once more stroking his beard. "I will see what I can do, Harry. Unfortunately, I can make no promises. Now, I will take my leave and you can try and sleep the remainder of the morning," Albus said and with a pat on Harry's hand, he stood, waved his wand to drop the ward. Then once again and the chair disappeared. Then he left exactly the way he had come.

_Want to bet he doesn't try all that hard?_ Harry glared bitterly at retreating man's head before seeing the need to get to the bank by himself. _Well I'll just have to find my own way, _he thought firmly. Then he sat up further and called, "Dobby."

A softer 'pop' and Dobby was there. "What can Dobby be doing for the Great Harry Potter?" said the excitable house elf. Dobby looked absolutely _giddy_ to have been summoned twice in the same night.

"Dobby, I need to go to Gringotts. Can you take me there, please?" the young wizard asked quietly, getting up from his bed.

"Dobby can be doing that. Did yous want to be going now, sir?" the tiny house elf said, bouncing on his feet.

"Yeah, let me get my key and cloak and I'll be ready," the now wide-awake teen said, and with that he went to his trunk, scrounged around and pulled out his _Invisibility Cloak_. A few moments more came up with his key. _I really need to clean this trunk out,_ he thought and then he looked at his newly acquired house elf, and he was suddenly struck with an idea. "Hey, do you think you could clean and organize my trunk for me?"

"Dobby is happy to be doing this for Harry Potter, sir," With a snap of his long spindly fingers everything from the trunk was on the bed. Another snap all the broken quills, torn parchment and cracked ink bottles were lifted and banished. Another snap and all the clothes folded themselves, parchments rolled and tied themselves and quills and ink bottles were put in their boxes. Another snap and everything was put back into the trunk in an orderly fashion. All that was left on the bed was the broken mirror Sirius had given Harry and the _Sneakoscope_ Ron got him from Egypt. "What does Harry Potter want to be doing with these? Dobby can fix the mirror, sir."

"No," Harry sighed sadly at the mirror. "Leave it." He gathered his cloak and attempted to put his key into his pocket. It was then that he realized he was still in his nightclothes. "Hold on while I get dressed," with that he went to his wardrobe. "Will Gringotts be open this early?"

"Yes sir, Harry Potter, sir. They is being open all hours."

"Good to know." Getting dressed in Dudley's old clothes, he turned to grab his cloak and key off the bed where he had left them.

"Harry Potter, yous cannot be going out like that," the horrified house elf said.

"What, why?" Harry said, looking down at his oversized raggedy clothes. Dudley's tee shirt had become old and faded, and it still hung off of his skinny arms. The jeans were held up only by a hand-me-down belt and had a hole in the left knee. The trainers on Harry's feet seemed to be the only thing that fit correctly, and even then it was a somewhat loose fit. "Sorry, Dobby, but these are the best clothes I've got and it's not like I can go shopping," he shrugged and started to gather up his cloak.

"Dobby is sorry, sir, but Harry Potter is needing new clothes. Dobby can fix these if Harry Potter is wanting," Dobby offered, pulling his ears until Harry grabbed his hands gingerly.

"Stop that, it looks like it hurts. If you can make these look better, go ahead." He waved his hand in a relenting manner.

With a look of determination, Dobby snapped his fingers and the clothes became cleaner, mended themselves seamlessly and started to shrink. The shrinking stopped just when the clothes fit snuggly on Harry's frame. The hole in the jeans was gone. The ghastly belt no longer needed and was banished. The shoes fit better as well. The shirt looked like new and the green color was renewed. "That is being better Harry Potter," the little elf nodded in satisfaction.

Putting his key in his front pocket, his wand in his back pocket and his cloak on his arm, Harry turned to Dobby with a grateful smile and said, "Thanks, buddy, you're the best. Come on, let's go."

Dobby was near hysterical with happiness at the new nickname, he grabbed his master's hand and with a 'pop' they were gone. When the spinning stopped and Harry picked himself up off the ground, he noticed they were outside of Gringotts Bank. He quickly put on his cloak, cursing the fact that he didn't put it on beforehand. He took a look around to see if anyone noticed him. However, due to the early hour the streets of Diagon Alley were all but empty. Heaving a sigh of relief, he moved toward the bank.

"Dobby, go ahead back to Grimmauld Place and wait for my call, okay? Since I know that the Headmaster is up, why don't you and Winky go and talk to him," the invisible teen softly ordered.

"Yes sir, Harry Potter sir. We will be doing that." And with a pop the tiny house elf was gone.

Harry entered the large imposing bank, the spacious white lobby was mostly empty, there were only a few night-dwellers seen. Harry was pretty sure one was a vampire. He looked cautiously at the other dark cloaked figures as he crept up to the first teller. When he got there he parted his hood showing only his face. "I know it's early, but I'd like to talk to or make an appointment to see Ragnot, please," he whispered, glancing worriedly around to see if anyone was paying attention to the disembodied voice. They weren't.

"Key, please," the goblin sneered, not even bothering to keep his voice down.

Harry looked into the beady eyes of the goblin and realized he was only doing his job. Hagrid had told him once that they were clever as they come. This remembrance felt like a touch of a warning. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out his key and dropped it on the counter. He kept himself covered from sight with his cloak, sending a nervous glance to the figure he was sure was a vampire. The being took no notice of him. _Great, I'm becoming paranoid, _he thought, turning his attention back to the teller.

"Ragnot is a very busy individual. I will see if he can meet with you. Wait on the bench by that door over there," the goblin said as he pointed to a stone bench by a large double door. He then hopped off his stool and made his way to the same door.

Harry went to the ornately decorated bench and sat down, looking once more around his pristine surroundings that was known as Gringotts Bank. To his dismay, his tummy grumbled and he thought that maybe he should have eaten something before he left and wondered if he would be back before he was missed. Some of the patrons looked up at the noise, but not seeing anything went about their business. Harry kept a close eye on them, making sure he made no more noise than he could help.

After about a fifteen minute wait, the goblin returned and motioned him to follow. After walking down a long hallway with many doors in all shapes and sizes, they come to the end where another set of double doors stood. The goblin, who never gave his name, opened the doors and announced, "Harry Potter to see you, sir." Setting Harry's key on the desk, he turned and walked out of the office.

"Ah, Harry Potter, I was wondering when you would come and see about your account. But, I have to wonder, why you would ask to see me and not your account manager. Excuse me for a minute," said the goblin behind the large wooden desk, who Harry assumed to be Ragnot. He then turned his attention back to the paperwork he was hurrying to finish.

The teen removed his cloak and looked at the goblin who spoke. This goblin appeared older and perhaps… kinder than the ones he usually met in the lobby. Maybe it was because he didn't deal with wizards on a daily basis. Ragnot was dressing in a Muggle type business suit, like most Gringotts goblins, which was a little old-fashion, but very neat and sharp.

The head goblin glanced up at the young wizard. Then he focused back on his paperwork. He only needed to sign his name on a few more, and then he could give the nervous young man standing in his doorway his full attention. It was the only reason he was here this early in the morning, paperwork waits for no wizard or goblin.

"I didn't even know I had an account manager," Harry explained, nervously shifting from foot to foot wondering if he should just take a seat. "The only experience I've had with Gringotts is when I take money from my vault for school. I was told to ask for you in a letter from my adopted father Sirius Black. He said there might be a block on my magic core. He said my dad, James, put one on me as a baby and he doesn't think it was ever removed. So he suggested I ask for you and that you might arrange for a healer." The quill that Ragnot had been using stopped and the goblin met the wizard's gaze. "Why would he want me to see one of your healers, I mean how do you even know how to treat humans?" he asked curiously, hoping not to offend the goblin.

"You have never met your account manager?" Ragnot asked as his brow furrowed slightly, looking troubled at this development, ignoring the other questions for now. He waved the young man closer.

"No, sir." Harry shook his head as he walked closer to the desk that dominated the middle of the room.

"Have you ever received your account statements? Do you even know your account balance?" the head goblin inquired, placing the quill completely down and focusing on the dark haired wizard. He gestured for young man to sit in the rather hard looking chair in front of the desk.

Harry sat in the chair and was quite surprised to find it comfortable. "No, sir, I know that there is quite a bit of gold in my vault, but I've never thought to ask how much. It seemed to always be enough to cover my school expenses," he replied with a shrug.

"Tell me, Mr. Potter," the manager said, folding his hands together and placing them front of him, leaning forward slightly, "how much fan mail have you received this year? How much hate mail did you receive last year when the Daily Prophet was defaming you?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I am confused. The only owl post I get is from my friends and Hogwarts. Sirius's house elf, Kreacher, brought me the letter," Harry answered, scratching his head in thought. "Well, I did get some letters after my interview with the Quibbler, but that's it," he reiterated, now that he thought about it. "What do you think is going on, sir?"

"Well, Mr. Potter, it would seem someone is interfering with your post," Ragnot said, sitting back in his chair and putting his folded hands to rest against his chest in a thoughtful manner. "There may be a charm that diverts all but specific letters. Though, if you say you got some last year then maybe it is breaking down." He rubbed his pointy chin in thought. "Someone as popular as you, should be screening post every day of your life. If you are not answering your letters it would explain why the public was so easily turned last year. For a fee, we can find and remove this charm. We have healers that work on humans," he said, finally answering Harry's previous questing. "They remove curses and charms from our wizard curse breakers. I am sure we can get one to see you."

"Yeah… yeah, let's do that," Harry said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Do I even have enough money to cover that? Can we look for the block on my magic at the same time?" he asked what he thought were the important questions.

With all the hate mail Hermione received in their fourth year when the Prophet called a scarlet woman —said she was cheating on Harry with Viktor Krum, which of course is ridiculous— it would make sense that Harry would receive more. With all the fame he had he should have been receiving fan mail all his life. _Should I be angry at whoever limited my post? Then again, if I got owls my whole life, the Dursleys would have hated me more, maybe, or they would have been more scared that I was famous or tried to use me. I think instead of hating that person, I'll thank them._ He was pulled out of his musing when the older goblin answered him.

With a greedy glint in his eye, Ragnot nodded. "Yes, I'm sure you have enough money to cover this; yes, we can look for the block you believe you have. Let me see who I can find this early in the morning to solve all of these issues. While you wait, do you wish to see what your account entails?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'd like to know. Do you know who I'd talk to about my godfather's will? He gave me a copy so I know what it says, but I don't think that Dumbledore is going to get me to the reading. Is there any way I can have it read to me now and then you can have a public reading later?" Harry asked. He didn't know if that was the way to go about it. He had never been to a will reading.

Ragnot rang a bell on his desk and young goblin scurried into the office. "Bring me the Potter account manager. Find out which healer is available right now. Find out who is in charge of the Black accounts and have them bring Sirius Black's will and account ledger here immediately," he barked out orders.

The young goblin bowed and rushed out the office to complete the demands.

Looking back to the young man, the bank manager said, "We shall see what we can do about the reading. It is all in the details of the will. If it says that everyone named in the will must attend the reading for it to be fulfilled, then you cannot have a separate reading. Do you have your copy with you?"

"No, I didn't think to bring it," Harry said sheepishly, but after being woken by Headmaster, he wasn't at his best. "I didn't even know I was coming until I talked to Dumbledore about a half an hour ago and he made it quite clear that he wouldn't be helping me get to the reading," he answered, putting more thought into the matter. If he ever found out that Harry was doing this behind his back… "Do you think he'll try and suppress this reading? I know he was in charge of my parents' will. Do you have their will? I was told to ask that as well." There was worry in those green eyes now at the thought that Dumbledore would curtail his nonexistent plans.

Ragnot looked thoughtful. "If, as you say, the will was suppressed then there might be little that we can do to have it read and implemented. But I will have someone look into it. I am unsure if we have a copy of your parents wills. I will ask your account manager. However, if they used a solicitor than we may not have a copy and it might be one of the reasons why it was suppressed so easily. Gringotts is above many of the Ministry's manipulations, whereas a solicitor is not," the bank manager explained to the confused teen.

"Oh yeah, okay. Not that it really matters, I guess, I'm pretty sure all but a few people in those wills are dead or on the run. I really don't know everyone my parents knew. But, there should be some bequest to friends and such. I do know they thought a lot of Remus Lupin and they'd've left him something. I hate to think that people didn't get what was left to them," Harry said, frowning at that thought.

A goblin entered the office without even knocking, causing Ragnot's eyebrows to rise. "You wanted to see me, Ragnot." The goblin bowed to the head goblin, then noticed Harry and sneered.

"Yes, Spearhead, this is Harry Potter. Mr. Potter, this is your account manager Spearhead," Ragnot gestured to the other goblin, deciding to ignore the breach of etiquette since there was a wizard in the office, he would address that later.

"Pleasure. Can I ask how long you've been the Potter manager?" Harry asked, not really liking how this goblin was acting towards him. _I mean really, he reminds me of Snape._

"I have been in charge of the Potter accounts for the last fourteen years," Spearhead answered, puffing up importantly.

Harry's brows furrowed in thought, _Could it possibly be…?_ He thought, and then brought his attention back to the self-important goblin. "Oh, who was the account manager before you and what happened to him?" Harry inquired, thinking it was bit unusual that the account manager would change around the same time his parents died.

"I do not know who the manager was before me. I do know I was asked to be the account manager by Albus Dumbledore, after he became your magical guardian," Spearhead answered as he straighten up with pride.

"What?" Ragnot bellowed, slamming both fist on his desk with great force as he rose to his full height, making both Harry and Spearhead shrink back. Although a mere four feet in stature, the furious goblin was now the most dangerous person in the room. "Since when does a wizard control what goes on in this bank? I am in charge here!" He rang the bell again.

When the young goblin entered, the angry goblin snapped out orders, "Find out who the last account manager of the Potter account was and bring him here immediately. I want to know why a change in management happened without proper procedure."

The young goblin left quickly.

"We will find out what is going on Mr. Potter. Know that this is very irregular," the bank manager continued in a calmer voice, until he turned to the goblin that had spiked his ire in the first place. "Spearhead," he snarled, "I want a complete audit of the Potter accounts and I want them on my desk in ten minutes and if you tell anyone of this meeting –I will not be pleased."

The now pale Spearhead left in a hurry to complete his task, not daring to defy the head goblin.

"Do you think there is anything wrong with my accounts?" Harry asked tentatively, not wanting to anger the now seemingly calmer goblin. The fact that it was Dumbledore was controlling the strings again didn't particularly please him. No, right now, he was more than a little annoyed with the meddlesome magic user.

"There better not be or heads will roll," the grumpy goblin threatened, slumping back in his chair, face scrunched up in anger. Harry had a feeling this threat was all-too-real.

They both waited, each in deep thought. Harry was thinking about his parents and Sirius's wills, hoping that there was some connection to his past in the form of missives. Ragnot was thinking about how something like this could happen in his bank without his knowledge, how far the damage extended, and what they could do to repair it. The young goblin from before came in and let them know that the Black account manager was there. Ragnot told him to have them wait.

After about eight minutes Spearhead returned with the account ledgers. He slowly walked up to the still irate elder and handed him the book.

"Go and sit over there until I've gone over this with Mr. Potter. There better not be any discrepancies in this account or it will come out of your hide," Ragnot threatened, snatching the book from his hands and pointing to a chair on the other side of the office.

The still pale goblin complied.

"Let us see what has been going on with your account Mr. Potter. If what you say is true then there should be little activity in the last fourteen years." Looking through the ledger Ragnot saw that there was indeed little activity. There was only the yearly withdrawal for the retainer from the law office the late Potters had used, school supplies, tuition, and deposits from investments. "Spearhead, you are indeed lucky that there is no skimming going on. Now, what I would like to know is how Albus Dumbledore got you appointed to the account manager without my knowledge." Ragnot turned his frightening glare onto the scared Spearhead.

"D… D…Dumbledore came to me stating that he needed a g…goblin in charge of the account that would keep him up to date with withdrawals and d…deposits. Since, he was Mr. P…Potter's magical guardian I saw nothing wrong with the appointment. I did not know it was without your approval," Spearhead stuttered, his tone of voice rightfully fearful.

Ragnot huffed angrily, "Next time…," he waved his hand, "… actually there better not be a next time. If anyone outside this bank approaches you, you will verify any task they give you with me. You know the procedures for this bank and they are there for a reason. You will stop all reports going to Dumbledore as they are not authorized by this bank. Since there is nothing wrong with the account you may remain the manager. I demand to see all investments for the account and for going against bank policies you will be paying for Mr. Potter's healer this day, out of your own pocket."

Harry went to protest, but a hand with large nails belonging to an angry goblin halted whatever he was about to say.

"No, Mr. Potter, he will pay. He knew what he was doing was against policy. He will do this as reparation or he will forfeit his position."

Spearhead nodded, being very thankful that he did not steal from the account as that would have been worth a beheading.

Harry was also glad that no foul play had happened to his accounts. He settled back into his chair and let the goblins hash this out.

"Do we have the Potters' wills? If we do, why were they not read and executed?" Ragnot demanded, just remembering the teen's question.

Spearhead answered swiftly, "We do not have the Potters wills nor do we have a copy. They filed it with the family solicitor. I am unsure of his name, the ledger only shows the company name, but I can look up that information if it is needed, sir."

"Yes, look it up and contact them. Inquire about the wills. Have a report on my desk tomorrow at the latest," Ragnot said and he glanced to the door as a knock was heard and he waved for Spearhead to stay. "Enter."

**Hphphp**

_Not much changed in this chapter. It was revised on this date, 1/1/16, so Happy New Year. As usual, check out my profile, I almost always have a poll going to satisfy my curiosity. Right now, on this date, there is one that asks what kind of Harry you like to read about. The winner right now is Powerful Harry. _


	3. The Will

**Chapter 3: The Will**

_This is a short chapter I tried to make it long, but… anyway, there was not much changed, since it was mostly the will. I pulled the format off the net and adjusted it. _

_One other thing, just an FYI, I do know the difference between 'Grandfather and I' and 'me and Grandfather' I do it to add character. _

**Hphphp **

The young goblin from before cautiously entered the now quiet office, staying near the door in case he needed to get the guards… not because he wasn't scared though, goblins don't get scared, no, he was cautious. He straightened up and said firmly, "Ragnot, the old Potter account manager is no longer with us. He died last year of old age, it seems he didn't take losing the Potter accounts well and never got a new one…" the young goblin trailed off and took a step back at the growl that emanated from the desk. "Also, sir, the Black account manager is still waiting for you," he hurriedly said. "The healer on call, Healer Spellfollower, is waiting for you as well."

"Tell the healer we will be ready in about an hour. Ask her to be prepared to do a full human exam. Tell Axegrind we are ready for him." Ragnot dismissed the young goblin with a jerk of his hand.

"Yes, sir," the young goblin said and quickly left the office.

"Spearhead, we are done here for now, but know this, you are on probation for the next year and you will be watched closely. If Headmaster Dumbledore asks why you have stopped all communication with him, you may send him to me," the bank manager said with a smirk; he couldn't wait for that conversation.

Spearhead nodded and rapidly left the office a look of utter relief on his face. He left the ledger behind, knowing Ragnot would want it.

Ragnot watched him go a calculating look in his eye, he then turned back to the teen patiently waiting, "Now, Mr. Potter, we shall see about the Black account and will."

A sharply dressed goblin, who seemed to have the proper demeanor when it came to clients, entered the office with a ledger and a folder. "You wanted to see me, Ragnot?" he asked, standing at the side of the large desk.

"Yes, Axegrind this is Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter, this is Axegrind, the Black account manager," the older goblin introduced them and waved Axegrind to the chair next to Harry.

The new goblin took the seat and nodded to Harry and placed the folder on his lap.

"Nice to meet you, sir. Is that the will?" Harry asked, nodding to the folder. He was hoping for more letters from Sirius.

"Yes, it is," Axegrind said, turning completely around in his chair to face the young wizard with a tilt of his head. "However, it is not time for the reading so I am perplexed as to why I was asked to bring it here. Did you not get your letter as to the time and date?" the confused goblin asked. "I sent it out yesterday."

"No sir, me and Ragnot believe that there may be a charm interfering with my mail. We're going to see if we can fix that later today so I don't miss any more of Gringotts' mail," the teenager answered. "I have a copy of the will, but I wanted to know if it could be read now for me and then later for the other recipients. I was hoping for more notes from Sirius." Harry looked hopefully at the Black manager; his shoulders slumped when the goblin shook his head no. "I don't think Dumbledore is going to want me to be at the reading," he sighed. He then thought of something that had been bothering him, so he asked, "Axegrind, why didn't Sirius go to a solicitor to do his will? He might have gotten his name cleared if he had."

"Yes, I had asked him the same," the Black manager nodded after a moment's thought. "I remember him telling me that when he first…" he paused searching for the correct word, "left Azkaban, he had tried. They all turned his case down. Believing he had been disowned and the fact that he was filthy and in horrible smelling rags, they didn't believe he was rich enough to afford them. Others felt his case was open and shut. None of them wanted to go against witnesses such as the Ministry or Albus Dumbledore. Had he come to us when he first escaped we might have been able to help him, but after what happened at Hogwarts, it was completely out of our control. The Minister would hear nothing in Mr. Black's defense after that embarrassment."

"Oh. That makes sense, I guess. Sorry, I interrupted," the dark-haired wizard waved self-consciously to the papers. It had been something that preyed on his mind, but it seemed solicitors, whether wizard or Muggle, only wanted cases they could win. Or who ever paid them best. "Can I hear the will now?" he asked.

"Ah, yes. Well, there is no reason why the will cannot be read now and then once more for the rest of the people listed," Axegrind stated, opening his own version of the will and took a nearby seat.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully. "That'd be very helpful."

"Very well, here is what is says." The Black account manager pulled the will from the folder, placed square reader glasses on his rather long nose and read:

_**1\. Declaration**_

_**I, **__**Sirius Orion Black**__**, hereby declare that this is my last will and testament. I hereby revoke, cancel and annul all wills and codicils previously made by me either jointly or severally. I declare that I am of legal age to make this will while of sound mind, body and magic. This last will and testament expresses my wishes without undue influence or duress.**_

_**2\. Appointment of Executors**_

_**2.1. I hereby nominate, constitute, and appoint **__**Axegrind of Gringotts**__** as Executor or if this Executor is unable or unwilling to serve then I appoint **__**Ragnot of Gringotts**__** as alternate Executor.**_

_**2.2. I hereby give and grant the Executor all powers and authority as are required or allowed in law, and especially that of assumption.**_

_**2.3. Pending the distribution of my estate, my Executor shall have authority to carry on any business, venture or partnership in which I may have any interest at the time of my death.**_

_**2.4. My Executor shall have full and absolute power in his discretion to insure, repair, improve or to sell all or any assets of my estate, whether by public auction or private sale and shall be entitled to let any property in my estate on such terms and conditions as will be in the best interest of my beneficiaries.**_

_**3\. Bequests**_

_**3.1. I bequeath unto the persons named below the following property:**_

_**To the Tonks family, I reinstate you to the Black family, with the vaults set back up to cover any and all allowance due to any part of the Black family. And I leave an extra 100,000 galleons. **_

_**To Narcissa Malfoy, I leave thirty sickles. You have betrayed the family motto and you will be disowned as of the reading of this will. I hereby dissolve your marriage as the contract drawn up between the Malfoys and the Blacks states you will maintain the said motto and as you did not the contract is now void. Always pure means we bow down to no one and especially not a half-blood. All vaults given to the Malfoy family as dowry for this marriage are hereby recalled and added to the Black family estate. Good luck to you, you will need it. **_

_**To Bellatrix Lestrange, I leave thirty sickles. You are hereby disowned from the House of Black as you too betrayed the motto of the house. Your marriage is hereby dissolved for the same reasons as stated above only with the Lestranges and the Blacks. The contract also stated that there was to be an heir before five years after the signing of said contract and there is not. All vaults given to the Lestrange family as dowry for this marriage are hereby recalled and added to the Black family fortune.**_

_**To Draco Malfoy, I leave 1,000 galleons as you are not responsible for your parents. I would have left you more, but you are a bully and have not been nice to my heir. **_

_**To Remus Lupin, I leave the cottage in Scotland and 100,000 galleons. Get some clothes, Moony. I've seen better dressed people in Azkaban. **_

_**To the Weasley family, I leave 100,000 galleons. Thanks for taking care of Harry for me. **_

_**To the Weasley twins, I leave 10,000 galleons. Make your joke shop great so more people will laugh. They will need it. And I leave a bit of advice; try not to make your jokes into what can be contrived as bullying. Remember there is fine line between having fun and being mean. Everyone likes a good laugh, but it should not be at the expense of hurting others. **_

_**To Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, I leave a lifetime supply of Lemon Sherbets. You can get the voucher from the goblins. Remus purchased it for me and it should be good for 25 years. If you are still alive after that then see my heir for another voucher. I also leave you with ten pairs of multi-designed woolly sock, as Harry tells me you think one can never have enough. **_

_**To Hermione Granger, I leave the choice of twenty-five books from the Black library. Have Remus go through them and make sure they are not cursed. **_

_**To Severus Snape, I leave one letter explaining why I left you anything when we clearly despise each other and the choice of ten books from the Black library, after Hermione gets her pick. Sorry, this will never cover what we did to you in school. I just hope that one day you will quit blaming Harry for something he had no part in.**_

_**And last, but not least, to Harry James Potter, my adopted son in blood and magic, I leave the rest of my fortune, my lands and my title. This adoption makes you a pure-blood, Harry, use it wisely. I love you, son. Never forget that. **_

_**3.2. If at the time of my death any of the property described in 3.1. above is no longer in my possession or part of my estate, then the bequest of such property shall be deemed null and void and shall no longer form part of this will and testament.**_

_**3.3. If any of the persons named in 3.1. do not survive me by thirty (30) days; the property bequeathed to such a person shall become part of the remainder of my estate. If it is found that foul play happened to said person then the bequeathed property will be dissolved and the proceed given to a charity that is listed with the Black Family Account Manager. **_

_**3.4. If any property described above is encumbered by debt which the beneficiary of such a bequest does not want to assume liability for, such property shall revert to the remainder of my estate.**_

_**4\. Special Requests**_

_**I direct that on my death my remains shall be buried at the Black family cemetery and all funeral expenses shall be paid out of my estate. I may not have liked being a Black in life but I will die as one and will reside with family in my death.**_

_**Signed on this _**__**24th**__**_ day of _**__**December, **__**in the year_**__**1995**__**_ at this location _**__**Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley London**__**_ in the presence of the undersigned witnesses.**_

_**SIGNED: **__**Sirius Orion Black**_

_**WITNESSES**_

_**As witnesses we declare that we are of sound mind, body, and magic and of legal age to witness a will and that to the best of our knowledge _**__**Sirius Orion Black**__**_, the creator of this will, is of legal age to make a will, appears to be of sound mind, body, and magic and signed this will willingly and free of undue influence or duress. We declare that he signed this will in our presence as we then signed as witnesses in his presence and in the presence of each other witness, all being present at the same time. **_

_**Under penalty of perjury we declare these statements to be true and correct on this **_

_**_**__**24th**__**_ day of _**__**December,**__** _ in the year _ **__**1995**__**_at this location Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley London.**_

_**Witness 1:**_

_**Axegrind: Black Family Account Manager.**_

_**Witness 2:**_

_**Remus Lupin: Unemployed**_

_**Witness 3:**_

_**William Arthur Weasley: Gringotts Curse Breaker**_

Axegrind sat back and removed his glasses as he concluded the reading and put the will back in the folder. He pulled a small ring box from his coat and placed it on the desk in front of the young man. "Here is your Lordship ring, Mr. Potter? Or would you prefer, Lord Black?"

During the reading, Harry had been wondering how Ron was going to feel that he and Hermione were named and the redhead was not. Breaking from his thoughts at Axegrind's question. "Does that mean I'll be Head of the House of Black? What does that entitle me to do?" he rapidly fired off questions. Remembering the last question asked he answered, "I think for security sake we should stick with Potter."

"As you say, Mr. Potter. Once you put on the ring, you will be Lord Black. There is a book in the vault telling you what that means. Your father, Mr. Black, placed it there just for you. When you are done with the healer, we can go to the vault and you can retrieve the book," Axegrind answered calmly, not at all perturbed by the bombardment of questions.

"Does this mean I'm emancipated? If I'm to have the title of an adult does that mean I am one?" Harry asked eyes bright with eagerness. Anything that would help his still developing plans was welcome. _This must be what Sirius meant in his letter._

It was Ragnot who answered, "Yes, that means you will be emancipated. However, you have been an adult in the eyes of this bank since just before the start of your fifth year. Did you not know this? We… no wait you would not have received our letter. We did send you a letter after your trial, informing you that because you were tried as an adult in front of the entire Wizengamot you are thereby an adult in the wizard's world. Did no one explain this to you?" he asked his brow crunched in worry. He was beginning to think this poor kid was being kept in the dark on purpose. He was immensely glad that no foul play had happened to the young man's accounts. He obviously didn't need any more hardship.

"No, sir. I didn't know that. Well, it's a little too late now. So I just put on the ring? No magic hoodoo? This is just the final step?" Harry said tightly. He was getting a little upset at all that was being withheld from him.

The teen was holding on to his rather explosive temper with firm mental fingers as he grasped the sides of his chair with physical ones. It wouldn't help him to lose control on people that had nothing to do with his ignorance. He didn't want to destroy the head goblin's office like he had done to the Headmaster's. But, really, that old bugger had no one to blame but himself. Taking an injured, distraught teen from where he had just seen his godfather die and still fought the evil that had plagued him all his life, then telling him that he either had to kill or be killed. Sometimes Harry wondered if the old man was senile or just tactless.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, you just put on the ring," Axegrind said after seeing the wizard calm down, wondering what could have brought on the sudden spike of rage he felt. "You should put it on your ring finger on your right hand, the magic you will feel in the ring is to project that you are now a Lord and so it will resize to your hand. Nothing to do with it accepting you or other such nonsense. " he advised as he picked up the box and held out to the boy next to him.

It was nothing flashy, just a simple box meant for holding small pieces of jewelry. The ring inside was a gold circlet with a flat square area at the top that had a flying Thestral engraved. The skeletal winged horse was posed in such a way that it looked to be taking off.

Harry took the ring out of the box and was amazed by the fact that it was thrumming with energy, almost as though it were alive. He marveled at it for a moment before placing it on the finger suggested. The ring resized itself immediately, it was a little anti-climactic. "Well it seems to like me," he said. Then a thought struck him. "Hey, is there a ring for the Potter house?"

"No, while the Potters were very rich, they were not of the Ancient and Noble houses. Though they are the descendants from the Peverell line, the last male died years ago and with him the noble title," Ragnot explained. He tried to keep caught up on wizard noble lines for disputes that came about now and then.

"Oh, okay," Harry shrugged it off, not worried about money or title. However, the more power he had the better it may serve him in the future. Especially, given what had happened between the Ministry and himself last year. He really could have used that power during that fiasco of a trial. "Thanks Axegrind, you've been a lot of help." He nodded to the Black account manager and turned back to the head goblin, "Should we go to the healer now? It hasn't been quite an hour yet."

"Yes, Mr. Potter, we can go now. I am sure they are not that busy at this time of the morning. It is only about 6 a.m.," Ragnot answered a glance at the clock not even necessary for his perception of time. It was only there for human clients. "Axegrind, we are done here. Do not let anyone know of this meeting. If anyone asks you about Mr. Potter, you will tell them you have never met the young man. You are dismissed."

Axegrind put the will back in the folder, with sharp efficiency and removed the ledger from the desk and then he left the office.

"Now Mr. Potter, if you would put back on your amazing cloak, you may follow me to the infirmary," the old goblin stated as he stood and headed to the back of the room and waited for the teen to join him.

Harry put on his _Invisibility Cloak_ and followed the head goblin out of the office. They left through a door in the back and descended down a staircase. The hall they entered was stone, much like all the lower portions of Gringotts, yet very clean and neat. To Harry's surprise it was quite warm, you would've thought that all this stone it would've been like the dungeons of Hogwarts, damp and chilly.

They went down for quite a while and Harry began to wonder how far below the ground they were going. They finally got off the stairs about six floors down and went through a nondescript door, to another stone hall. They went down the passage to a set of plain metal, double doors, with little round windows. The kind you see in most hospitals.

Harry held his breath and stood back a minute, Ragnot sensing the young man needed to collect himself waited off to the side of the doors. The dark-haired teen didn't want to see what was behind those doors. He never was a good patient— healers hated him, he was a very firm believer in that. Taking one more cleansing breath, doing what all Gryffindors must, he pushed opened the doors.

**Hphphp **

_Because people got mad at me when I posted the first story, I wanted to explain that according to Harry Potter Wikia the Potters were __**NOT**__ an Ancient and Noble house. The __**ONLY **__Ancient and Noble house mentioned in all of the Harry Potter books were the Blacks. The Potters weren't even mentioned in the sacred twenty-eight—though they should have been. Also according to Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy, the Peverell name was among the first to "become extinct in the male line," meaning that the name had died out among wizarding families, but not the members of the family itself. Hence the Nobility died with the name._

_And I know… I know, the whole kicking out of the family thing is pretty overdone as well, but it is vital to my plot. So please forgive me. _


	4. Healers and Trunks

**Chapter 4: Healers and Trunks **

_Now this one gave me a bit of grief (and a bit of a headache), I had to adjust and reword a lot. I hope it flows better. _

_Thanks for all of your support and kind words. I tried to answer reviews, but ffn is not letting me. _

_Revised 1/2/16_

**Hphphp **

The room inside the double doors, that held Harry's concern a few moments before, looked a lot like the infirmary at Hogwarts. Along the wall were metal bed frames with firm mattresses. Above the beds were two cabinets, one that had potions on shelves, the other was closed with metal doors. Next to one bed was a tray with many different colored crystals lined up, looking like a miniature glass rainbow.

There a small female goblin, dressed in a white nurse's smock, flat shoes on her thin feet and she even had a jaunty nurse's hat between her rather large ears.

_I wonder why she's dressed like that. Does she do it only for human patients to make them feel more comfortable?_ _I do wonder how she keeps that on her head, _Harry mused with a silent chuckle as he looked her up and down trying to see if she would be like Madam Pomfrey.

The nurse goblin turned from the tray as they entered. "I am Healer Spellfollower," she said in a soft yet firm voice. "Now, young man, if you would; take your shirt off, remove your glasses, hop up on the bed and lay down, please," she ordered, her voice very plainly told him that she was not one to waste time or words. "Let's see what you've been up to. Young human men are always getting into mischief, curses here, missing limbs there. When will they learn that they are fragile and breakable?" she muttered the last part under her breath.

_Yep, just like Madam Pomfrey, _Harry thought and did as asked, removing his shirt and glasses then scrambling up on to the bed.

While Harry was doing what was ordered... um, asked, Ragnot informed the healer, "We believe there may be charms placed on Mr. Potter and that there may be a block on his magic core. As I requested, I would also like you to do a full diagnostic to see if there are any other ailments that need to be corrected."

"Hmmm, we'll see. I need you to hold still, young man," she said, turning back to her patient. She placed a green crystal on his chest and tapped it three times with her long index finger, its sharp fingernail making a slight scraping sound.

A scroll and quill popped up beside her and started writing of its own accord.

When it was done writing, the nurse snatched and read aloud, "Well, you seemed to have suffered past malnutrition, Mr. Potter, and I am sorry to say that you won't grow to be much taller than you are now. Though years of good eating have repaired your bones, from the looks of it they were quite weak at one time. I'll bet they broke rather easy." She raised her thin eyebrows at the teen.

The dark-haired young man cringed at the memories of all the times he bones broke during Quidditch; just simply falling that first and second year would snap them. Madam Pomfrey fixed his weak bones up with a nutrition potion and an added bone strengthening solution. "Well, that's disappointing, I mean, I'm used to being around five-seven. Still, not the shortest of my dorm mates anymore, but I was hoping for a growth spurt," Harry said with a sigh. "As for the bones, Madam Pomfrey fixed those up."

"Sorry to say, that growth spurt won't happen. Ah, yes, Madam Pomfrey is a good Healer," she said with a nod and then turned back to the parchment. "I also see that there is indeed a block on your magic and that it was placed on you as a baby. We can take that off. Your glasses don't fit your prescription. You should see a wizard eye-healer about that, we're not equipped to handle human eyes," she continued.

"That will be awhile," the emerald-eyed teen grumbled, knowing that there were going to be problems if he left the house too often. Maybe with the elves help it will be easier. _I wonder if there are healers inside Diagon Alley or maybe I should go to St. Mungo's, I'm going have to look into that. _

Healer Spellfollower ignored his mumbling. "There's something wrong with the scar on your forehead that I can't quite make out, but we can do a deeper scan to see what that is and if it can be fixed." She raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"I'd like the deeper scan, please," he said, hoping that there was nothing to terribly wrong with his scar.

The nurse nodded and gathered up the crystal needed for the deeper scan and placed it on the tray and then went back to the list. "I see remnants of Basilisk venom in your veins, but there are also remnants of Phoenix tears counteracting those effects. Most of it is diluted due to it being in your body for so long, however it might give you a... how do you humans put it?" she asked herself, tapping her chin in thought, "oh yeah, a leg up on poisoning. You wizards have the weirdest sayings," she shrugged and went back to reading the scroll. "There appears to be some charms on you as well, not many and they're not harmful, we can remove them. Other than that, you are in excellent health," she removed the crystal and placed it back on the tray.

"What are the charms?" Harry asked, though he was glad to hear that he might be mostly immune to poison. He wiggled to get more comfortable on the bed.

"Well, there is there's a _Post Redirect Charm_ that seems to be breaking down on its own. There's also a mild _Notice-Me-Not Charm_ that looks to have been placed about a few months ago. It is alongside a soft _Muggle Repelling Charm_, they seem to be working together and keyed to a few specific people," the healer goblin replied, her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the scroll. "But, I can't see who, the charms are too mild."

"Oh," Harry said, figuring that that was why his relatives were pretty much leaving him alone. That was helpful. He did wonder who put it on him, though. "Can we remove the post charm and leave the other two?"

The Healer nodded and took a silver crystal from the tray, laid it on Harry's chest and tapped it. There was a glow that filled the entire room with silver light. When it died down she removed the crystal. "That should do it. The post charm should be gone," she said as she watched the quill move after the charm was removed.

Harry figured it was adding the charges. He sighed in relief. That was easy. _A lot easier than in Hogwarts' hospital wing where Madam Pomphrey would have kept me overnight. _Speaking of the Hogwarts healing, "Healer Spellfollower, why do you use crystals?" he asked. "How come you don't use a wand? Why don't wizards use crystals? They seem to be easier and work more quickly than wands."

"Goblins are of the earth, the magic we use is earth based," she explained, chuckling at the inquiring teen. Teenage humans were always asking questions. Not that she saw many, most of her human patients were older, but sometimes family came to visit. She remembered the redhead and his family, those twins never shut up. "We use crystals as they're from the earth and it is easier for us to control. We don't have that type of control with a wand. We only fight for those rights because wizards should have no say as to whether we can use them or not," she snarled, but when she saw she was upsetting her patient, she took a calming breath and went back to the subject. "Wizards are not from the earth and while the crystals can be used _on_ wizards they cannot be used _by_ wizards. They need goblin magic to activate. If I were to do something, say heal a broken bone, you'll find it would be just as difficult as it would be for a wizard. But charms, curses and other magical ailments are easier with the crystals."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," the teen said, settling back down and waiting for what was next.

Reaching for yet another crystal on the tray she turned to Harry and said, "I am going to lay this crystal on your scar for the scan. Be as still as possible," the healer instructed as she laid a blue crystal on his scar.

Another scroll and quill popped up and started writing. This one went by quicker than the last.

"Well, it seems there is a soul fragment in your scar, Mr. Potter. Any idea how it got there?" she questioned as she removed the crystal. "We can remove it; for a fee, of course." Not even goblin healers did anything for free, it was against their culture.

"Spearhead will be paying for today's visit. Do what you can to remove the fragment," Ragnot ordered from the chair he had sat in.

Spellfollower nodded in understanding and went to the other side of room to get the crystal needed from the locked cabinet, which was on the left wall. After gathering it and a pair of gloves, she made her way back to the bed to try and calm the now hysterical teen.

"Soul fragment…? In my scar?! What does that mean? Am I possessed?" he yelled the questions in a panic rubbing his face with both hands, worry lines etched his eyes. _Why do these things always happen to me? _he wondered. "Oh, Merlin, it could be from Voldemort! Maybe from that night my parents died, since he is the one he gave me the scar. Can we get it out?" the bewildered boy frantically questioned. His palm made contact briefly with the accursed scar. He snatched his hands back as if burned.

Patting the frightened boy on the arm, the healer calmly told him, "Don't worry, it won't hurt and no, you're not possessed. You're probably correct in that it is from that night. We can remove it without a problem, after all it is a curse," she said. Then she got a sparkle in her eyes and winked at the frightened young man. "We do this for a living you know? You're not the first human to come to us like this. Our curse breakers are constantly getting these horrid things imbedded in them. They just can't tell anyone, it's against Gringotts policy." She held up a black crystal and placed it on the scar. "Now don't move. This will take a minute or two."

There was a loud screech as the fragment was sucked into the crystal. Harry resisted the urge to cover his ears as per Spellfollower's request to remain still.

When the sound stopped, she removed the crystal with a dragonhide covered hand and placed it into a heavy bag. "I'll get this to the mystics and see if they can destroy it. Now, Mr. Potter, how are you feeling? No hot flashes or chills?" she asked as she removed the glove and felt Harry's now _horcrux_ free head.

"No, I'm good. That scream was kinda creepy though," he said in relief as he sat up and gave a slight shudder. "What was that? If that was from Voldemort does that mean I'm no longer a _parselmouth_?" Harry asked as he settled down against the headboard.

He did wonder if there were any other soul fragments lying around. He thought about the scream he heard when he destroyed the diary in second year. _Did he make more? Was this one on purpose or was it and accident? Am I the reason he is still alive? I am going to have to research this. But how? I don't have those kind of books at home. Maybe I'll check in the Black library,_ his thoughts were churning, though he was relieved that he no longer had this fragment in his scar. Then he got another thought. "Healer Spellfollower, why didn't the basilisk venom destroy it?" he asked, remembering the fang that destroyed the diary.

"The screams you heard were from the soul fragment, it did not want to leave you. You shouldn't have any adverse effects from this. The fragment was incased in its own… for lack of a better word, sack. The venom wouldn't have reached it or perhaps the phoenix tears stopped the venom before it got to your forehead, we can't be sure. As for you still being a _parselmouth,_ there's only one way to find out." With that, the healer waved her hand and a snake appeared on the floor in the middle of the room.

It was a large snake with black eyes that it couldn't narrow, but would if given the chance. _"Who is calling me? Why have you brought me here?"_The agitated snake hissed.

"_I'm sorry, we're testing a theory. Do you want to be sent back?"_Harry calmly asked. He was glad he could answer; you never know when something like that could come in handy.

"_Yes, send me back. Now!"_The snake answered, its body undulating at a rapid pace, trying to find the enemy. _"If you don't send me back, I'm going to bite you, speaker or not."_

"It says it wants to be sent back, it's none too pleased we brought it here," Harry told the goblins. The healer waved her hand again and the snake was gone.

"Well that answers that question. The soul fragment has been in you a long time, so the magic that it gave you is completely your own," Healer Spellfollower said, before she turned to the tray beside her. "Now we'll see about this block on your core. Lay down again, please," the healer said.

Harry complied, once more trying to get comfortable on the firm mattress.

The female goblin turned to the bed holding a purple crystal. She placed the crystal on Harry's chest and waited. A bright light filled the room and when it died down, she removed the gem. She replaced the green crystal on his chest, tapped it, and watched as the scroll and quill start writing again. When it was done writing, she read. "Well, it seems we're done here. I'd work on your magic since it has been suppressed a long time. You'll find you're far more powerful than you thought you were. Remember to get your glasses updated. You can get dressed now," she said, after that last glance and then handed the parchment to Ragnot, who had been all but forgotten sitting in a chair off to the far side of the room, to give to Spearhead.

The young wizard put his shirt and glasses back on and ran a hand through his hair. He could feel the scar was far less prominent then it had been. "I will," he stated, though he had no idea how he was going to accomplish that.

Ragnot and Harry took their leave of the infirmary and after the teen donned his cloak. They went back up the stairs to Head's office. The lead goblin took his seat and motioned Harry to sit once more. "I will call Axegrind now." He rang the bell and the young goblin appeared. "Tell Axegrind that we are ready for him."

Harry wondered something that he should have asked quite a while ago. "Ragnot, what's the balance of both my accounts?"

"Axegrind will know how much is in the Black account after the will. Let us wait until he gets here so we can know if the ledger is up to date. There might be more after the reading of the will with the Malfoy and Lestrange dowries added. We will figure it out." He placed his folded hands on the desk.

"Oh, I can wait. Can I put them into one account? Should I?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head, thinking he really needed to know more about handling money.

"You should keep them in separate accounts. That way if you have two sons neither line will die out," Ragnot answered, with a nod.

Harry thought on it, seeing the sense in his words, he nodded and settled back into his chair. He was tired after a late night and early morning, so he leaned his head back and closed his eyes to rest for a moment.

Axegrind entered the office, carrying the Black ledger, which he had been updating while waiting for them to be done with the healer. He retook the chair next to the resting teen and waited.

Harry kept his eyes closed and listened. He knew he was being a bit rude, but he was exhausted.

"Mr. Potter would like to know his balance of his accounts and afterwards I am sure he would like to visit the vault," Ragnot informed him.

Axegrind took a look at the Black ledger before replying. "There are 2,890,873 galleons in the Black account after the reading of the will, including what was taken back from the Malfoys and the Lestranges." He then read the Potter ledger. "There are 980,345 galleons in the Potter account. That makes it 3,871,218 galleons altogether. In addition to the cottage in Godric's Hollow and Mr. Black's place of residence," he included the last bit so that Harry knew all of his holdings.

"Are there any other properties?" Harry asked as he opened his eyes to look at the Black manager.

"The Potter Mansion was destroyed in the last war and your father sold the land immediately after it was passed to him. All the Black houses were sold by Mr. Black's grandfather, Arcturus Black, with the exception of the townhouse in London. The address doesn't seem to be here, so it must be under a charm," the neatly dressed goblin answered.

"Well that's too bad, I was hoping for… well, a connection to my ancestors," Harry sighed.

"We can visit the Black vault now if you wish," Axegrind said, handing the teen two small, golden, skeletal keys, after retrieving the Potter key from Ragnot.

Harry stood and put his cloak back on, leaving his head out. He put the keys in the front pocket of his jeans and hoped this wouldn't take long. He had been gone far longer than he had thought he would. He glanced at the clock on the wall, it was nearing 7 a.m. and Aunt Petunia got up at 7:30 each morning and was bound to notice his absence. "Thanks, Ragnot, you've been a great help. Now that I know who my managers are, I hope I don't have to take up your time in the future," he said with a bow of his head.

"It was not a waste of my time, Mr. Potter. I learned as much as you did this visit. I will now have to do a full audit all my managers, thanks to you." The head goblin held up his hand at the young man's guilty look. "It is a good thing, something that should be done anyway. Until next time, Mr. Potter," he nodded the two out of his office and went back to his abandoned paperwork.

Harry raised the hood of his cloak and followed Axegrind to the carts. The trip down seemed far faster than he remembered. Soon they were standing outside the Black vault. A tall door was blocking its riches from view.

Axegrind ran his finger down center of the stone door and a seam formed. "Place your hand on the seam and state your name. It will then be attuned to your magic. Then put the key in this hole here," he instructed as he pointed out the keyhole midway up the entryway.

Harry cautiously did as he was told. This wasn't the same as when he visited the Potter vault. That and he remembered Griphook's warning the first time he came to a vault such as this. There was no way he wanted to be sucked in that foreboding door.

The door opened with a groan. Inside the enormous vault were piles of gold, silver, and copper coins. All of them were piled high along the backside of the vault. There were jewelry, furniture, and other household items on the left side, while books and trunks lay on the right.

Knowing he didn't have much time, Harry inspected the trunks briefly. If he could find one that could hold all these books, he might see if Axegrind would put them in there for him. The first four he saw were regular school trunks and filled with what appeared to be junk. The fifth was just what he was looking for and it was empty, making it easier to fill. It had three compartments, each bigger than the next. He decided to take all the trunks since he saw books laying amongst robes and parchments.

"Axegrind, could you shrink the books and the trunks? Then can you put them in here, please?" Harry asked, indicating the empty trunk. Then, almost as an afterthought, he continued. "I was wondering, my elves are cleaning out the Black house and I'm having them put all the dark objects in trunks. Can they bring them here? Do they need the key?" he asked, forgetting what Dobby had told him earlier.

"You could do this yourself now, Mr. Potter, as you are an adult," the goblin reminded him with a slight grin. "Yet, if you take the trunks, I'll collect the books, we can leave much faster." With a wave of his hand the first shelf of books started to shrink. "Your elves are attuned to your magic, so they may pop in here and deposit the trunks. The bank will automatically update anything that is deposited or taken from the vault by me or you and since the elves are attuned to your magic—they are included. There are curse breakers here at the bank and, for a fee of five galleons a day… each, they can go through your vault and remove the dark curses or destroy any dark object," he offered with a greedy glint to his eyes.

Harry pulled his wand from his back pocket and started to shrink the trunks. There were fewer trunks than books so he finished faster. He placed the ten trunks he found in the first compartment of the larger three compartment trunk then opened the second compartment for Axegrind. He would go through the trunks at the Dursleys.

Axegrind started levitating the books into the second compartment. In a few minutes they were all done with a compartment to spare.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea, especially in this vault," Harry said, continuing where the last conversation stopped. "What with things from the Blacks, the Malfoys, and the Lestranges, there's bound to be a nasty hex or two. So, yeah, if you can arrange that for me that would be great," he said with enthusiasm, because he didn't have to deal with dark curses. After a minute he asked as he gathered some coins, "Hey, is there a Potter vault with valuables in it? 'Cause Spearhead didn't mention a family vault and I want to know if there are any mementos left by my family. I have so little to remember them by."

"There was such a vault long ago; however, I believe all the valuables were sold off to help the war effort, the first time Voldemort rose to power. I know that once your parents went into hiding there was nothing left, except what is in your vault. It was only by your mother's demands that your father left enough money that you would not have to work. Do not think he did not love you; he just wanted the world to be safe for you," he added quickly at the teen's frown.

"Well, that's sad to hear. Yeah, I get where Dad was coming from. I probably would've done the same. I had hoped there was at least something left to remind me of my family. Maybe you're right and there's something in Godric's Hollow," Harry said as he closed the trunk. _I'll have to see about getting there sometime soon._ "How do you know this? Aren't you the Black family manager?"

"The only reason I know this, is through talks with the late Potter account manager. He used to complain about how your father made no profit and gave all his gold away," Axegrind said as he looked around to make sure he got all the books. The only one left was the one Mr. Black had left for his son/godson, so he left it out.

Harry shrugged, that was a good as reason as any. _I guess even goblin gossip. _Then, he shrunk the remaining trunk and placed it in his front pocket. He noticed and grabbed the book Sirius had left him, shrunk it, and put it in his back pocket. He replaced his wand in his other back pocket, pulled his cloak back on, and left the vault.

**Hphphp**

_Please review, I will attempt to answer them, but I don't know if people are reading this revision (since the reviews aren't tallying on ffn) or if they like it better. I know the whole story is a bit cliché, but it was my first fic and I went with what was comfortable. _


	5. The Timer

**Chapter 5: The Timer and Plans Made**

_Not much changed in this chapter either, just some sentence structure and ridding of useless words. Revised 1/2/16._

_Thanks for your support and reviews. _

**Hphphp**

Axegrind and Harry made their way back to the lobby of the bank where the teen thanked the goblin, before quickly going to a counter to exchange some of his money to muggle money. Hidden as he was under his cloak, thinking it was good thing goblins could be discreet. _When they wanted_, he thought, remembering the goblin teller from this morning. When he was done, he went outside.

Harry ducked into a dark alleyway on the side of the bank and called softly for Dobby.

The house elf appeared with a slight 'pop' noise and instantly looked about himself in confusion. "Where is Harry Potter sir? Dobby is hearing Harry Potter call but he is not seeing him." The poor elf was near hysterics.

"Shhh Dobby, it's okay. I'm under my cloak. Hold out your hand and when I take it, get us back to Privet Drive, okay?" Harry quickly said.

Dobby held out his hand and when he felt his owner's hand, he popped them back into the young wizard's bedroom.

"Thanks, buddy," Harry said and when he saw the house elf big eyes start to tear, he quickly asked the first question that popped into his head. "Hey, if you can pop wizards around, why have I not heard of this? Wouldn't you be popping everyone, especially underage wizards who can't _Apparate_?"

"Ah, sir, wizards is not liking to have to rely on lowly house elves. They is thinking they should not have to rely on a house elf for anything but housework. If they is asking they is not telling anyone they is asking," Dobby sighed glumly, hanging his head at the shame at what other wizards thought of elves, though he knew the Great Harry Potter would never think that, however, a life time of abuse made him feel shame. He remembered well his treatment from the Malfoys.

Lifting his friend's head back up with a finger under the chin, Harry smiled. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Dobby. Those other wizards, especially the Malfoys, are the ones who should be hanging their heads. Not my buddy." The big green eyes beamed at such high praise from his favorite wizard. "So, why did you pop me outside of Gringotts and not in the lobby?" he asked, pleased to see his friend smiling again.

"House elves cannot be popping peoples into areas where there is being _Anti-Apparition Wards_. Wes can be taking them outside the wards, but that is being all. Wes can pop us anywhere Masters is needing, but wes cannot be taking peoples. It is being part of security that was being sets up long, long ago," Dobby explained carefully, not wanting his Master to think it was something he could do, but didn't. "Yous is the only one who being allowed to be popping into this house. So, Dobby can be bringings yous here, easy-peasy."

"Oh, okay. Then I guess that's all for today, you've been great, unless… can you get me something to eat? I don't think the Dursleys are going to feed me this morning. They said something about not getting my chores done on time last night. So if you can, I'd be very grateful." Too bad those charms were only mild. He still had chores to do every day, even if it wasn't as many.

The excitable house elf was horrified that someone would treat the Great Harry Potter that way. "Dobby will be getting Harry Potter something from his Paddy's house. There is being no one there right now. Yous should not be skipping meals, yous is far too skinny," he said, waggling his finger at his Master.

Harry smiled in amusement that Dobby referred to Sirius' Animagus form as 'Paddy' and not Padfoot. Then again he couldn't say Granger or Weasley either and he called the Headmaster, Master Whiskers. "You're the best, Dobby. I don't know what I'd have done without you today," he praised as he placed his hand on Dobby's shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze.

Dobby grinned brightly at such praise and the wizard smiled in return. "The Great Harry Potter is complimenting Dobby. Dobby is not knowing what to say. Dobby will do as Harry Potter is asking and will return as soon as I is having his breakfast ready." And with 'pop' he was gone.

Harry looked around his rather cramped room and wondered where to start. He went to the bed and put the Sneakoscope on the nightstand and wrapped the still broken mirror back into its cloth. He put it under the floorboard beneath his bed, where he kept his most important things. He rearranged his furniture so that there was a wider space in the middle. Then he pulled the shrunken three compartment trunk out of his pocket, placed in the newly acquired space and tapped his wand atop it to make it grow.

_I wonder if I should go through the trunks first or look at the books. I think I'll do the trunks, you never know what you will find in those. _The teenager pulled out a trunk, placed it next to his bed and tapped it with his wand to enlarging it. When it opened he looked at the mass jumble of junk inside. _This might take a while. _

It was a good thing the Dursleys were mostly ignoring him this summer so he had most of the day to look through this. He only needed to do the gardening today. _Thank Merlin, for those repelling charms, _he thought with amusement as he opened the third section of the main trunk so he could store anything useful in it, because Merlin knew there wasn't any extra space in his tiny room, even with the rearrangement.

He placed the useless items —broken quills, old homework, broken ink bottles, and trashed trinkets— on his bed. He found what looked like a man's ring with a wide band and a small red jewel right in the center. When he passed it over some of the trinkets, the jewel would heat up or glow. Through trial and error he found that it would heat up when near cursed objects and only glow around charmed ones. _That will be helpful, probably used on mail. Better safe than sorry and anything that heats up I can float to an empty trunk. Those Black sure were paranoid bastards. Good news for me though._

Halfway through the first trunk, he came across a box with a round silver disk that had numbers around the edge, like a cooking timer, which made the ring glow bright.

~**The Room Timer~**

read the front of the pamphlet, which was stuck on the box. Harry opened the pamphlet and started reading.

**~The Room Timer —akin to a Time Turner, yet very different —is a means of slowing down time. By placing the timer on the door to any room and setting it (see instructions), one can slow the time in the room. For example, one minute passes outside the room for every hour that passes inside the room. With the charms added to this device you will not age while inside. Clocks will register only outside time, **

_**CAUTION: You will need to eat, sleep and take care of your daily needs. **_

**This is a must have for the student that can never seem to find the time to do their homework!**

This was _perfect_. Since he could now do magic and he had all these books, he could get the knowledge and maybe some training he needed and Dumbledore would never know. The Order members watching the house wouldn't know either, because he could leave the house at any time and they'd think everything was normal. He quickly read the instructions.

There was a self-sticking charm on the back of the timer for easy placement and removal. The timer could be set so its effects could last for two hours outside the room, perfect for him. Because, even though his relatives were ignoring him, he assumed they'd notice if he disappeared for more than two hours. He'd have to be careful and try and do this when they were sleeping. However, right now he was too excited to wait until nightfall. Before he set the new device, he called Winky.

"What can Winky be doing for Master Harry Potter, sir?" came a squeaky voice from behind him.

The dark haired wizard turned to the female elf and saw she was now clean and wearing a nice tea towel. It was a pretty tea towel with a flowing floral design of blooming vines that snaked the entire body. It had a hole in the middle for her head and a piece of cloth for a belt, shaped like a sleeveless tunic. If one would look at it —not knowing it was in fact a tea towel —it could pass off as a simple dress.

"Winky, didn't you like the dress you wore at Hogwarts? Do you _want_ to wear a tea towel?" he asked, rubbing the side of his nose, not understanding why someone would prefer a tea towel over a dress.

"Oh no, sir, Winky is not liking that dress at all. Winky likes her tea towel," she answered, fingering the tea towel in question.

_Well, if she likes it then who am I to say no? And she does look much happier, _Harry mused with an inward chuckle, not wanting the happy house elf to think he was laughing at her. "Winky, I'm going to ask something very strange of you. I know Dobby's getting me some breakfast, but I'm putting a time slowing device on my room," he said, holding up the device to show her, "so for every one minute that passes outside my room one hour will have passed in my room. I'd like it if you could tell Dobby to wait to bring my breakfast until about 9 a.m. seeing as it's about 7:30 now," he said as he glanced at the battered clock on his nightstand, he really needed to get a new watch, "about ninety hours will've passed for me. What I need for you to do is go and see if you can get me some type of ready-made meals. Can you do that?"

"Winky can do that for Harry Potter," the excited house elf stated, content to get away from cleaning the dark attic for a new task, even though they were close to being done.

"Will you go do that for me, please? I'm not sure if the wizarding world sells them. Maybe for campouts or explorers," said the teenager as a thoughtful look passed his green eyes. He remembered seeing Muggle stuff on the telly, so if she couldn't find wizarding ones, maybe he could get some Muggle ones. He hoped she could get them, because he didn't want to wait long to do the timer.

"Winky is knowing where to go. Winky will bes right back, Harry Potter, sir." And with a 'pop' she was gone.

Harry waited patiently and read the instruction book again. It said that the disk, when placed, had a _Notice-Me-Not Charm_ for the duration of the timer. Because if someone opened the door while the timer was set, it could cause a paradox. There was a warning that the door would not be noticeable, but it wouldn't erase him from people's minds, they will notice his absence.

If he programed it so ninety minutes went by, he would be uninterrupted until 9 a.m. Well, maybe he'd shoot for eighty minutes as it was now past 7:30. He'd go through the rest of the trunks and see what else could be found and then he'd sort the books. Anything cursed he'd levitate into the empty trunks and have Dobby take them to the Black vault. _The curse breakers can go through them, _he thought. The elves should be done with most of the attic by then. When they wanted, those busy little buggers were fast.

With a 'pop', Winky was back with a medium size, shrunken bag. In the bag were several ready-to-eat meals that were kept in separate containers. The containers seemed to be in a stasis of some kind. They looked metal, but felt plastic. Each labeled neatly as to what it contained and instructions on how to use. All a person had to do was take a meal out, tap it with a wand twice and they'd have a nice hot meal –or cold if it was fruit, cereal or something of that nature. There were about fifty meals in the bag ranging from breakfasts to dinners, and even to some snacks. The bag also contained several chilled water bottles and pumpkin juice flasks. That should tide him over for quite a while.

"Thanks, you're the best," the teenager said giving the proud elf a hug, making her squeal in delight. "I forgot to ask, but did you get Buckbeak to the Forbidden Forest?" he said returning to his seat on the bed.

"The Buckbeaky is now in the forest, Harry Potter, sir, and he is being most happy," she was glad the poor creature was now free, it hadn't looked happy crammed inside that little room.

_Well that is one thing off my mind, _the dark haired wizard thought. "How far along are you guys with the attic?" he said, turning again to Winky.

"We is almost being done with the attic. When Dobby is bringing young Master his breakfast, we should be done, sir. There is being many dark things in there, sir," she whispered ominously, then got a serious look on her tiny face. "We is doing what you said and putting them in the trunks. Kreacher is trying to steal some of Master's things, but we is not letting him," Winky said. Her eyes were now alight with pride in their accomplishments.

_I'm going to have to keep an eye on Kreacher,_ the young man's eyes narrowed. He knew Kreacher wasn't to be trusted, but he was unsure as to what else could be done to control the slightly crazy house elf. Harry looked to Winky and noticed she was getting nervous, so he brightened his face with a smile and said, "That's great. If you could, would you take anything useful that you don't think I'll need to the second hand store in Diagon Alley. I think it's called the Junk Shop…" he paused, remembering that he'd need clothes and just this morning Dobby made his cousin's old clothes seem new. "On second thought, maybe you should put them in trunks and bring it to me first, so I can go through them. I trust your judgement to bring me things you think I'll need."

He watched Winky's face light up with pride. Her Master said he trusted her with something so important, she wouldn't let him down.

Harry brought her back to reality and once more picked up the timer. "I'm going to be using this every morning and every evening and I don't think you'll be able to find me when it's on, so don't panic. I'll only be out of touch for about an hour or two. When Dobby brings my breakfast, I would like it if all of you to come here for further instructions."

"Yes, sir, Harry Potter, sir," Winky said and with a determined look in her eyes she popped away.

Harry set the timer, donned the ring, and went to work on the trunks. He found loads of useful things such as: quills, ink pots, wizard robes, pants and shirts (some were a little outdated, but maybe Winky could fix that or give them to the Junk Shop), a pensieve (slightly dinged, but seemed to still be functional), a packet of seeds (he figured he could give to Neville), and trinkets of all kinds and some jewelry (some cursed, some charmed, others with no magic on them).

He also found two wand holsters, which could come in handy. He put one on each arm and was surprised at how well they fit him. There were about four wands in the trunks. He tested them all, only one gave off sparks when he waved it. It wasn't as good as the wand he had gotten at eleven from Ollivander's, but it might be helpful to have a backup in case something happened. Like the time he and newly resurrected Voldemort met and their wands fought against each other, bringing the duel to a draw. Had it not been for the spirits killed by Voldemort, Harry never would have escape.

Shaking his head to get away from those depressing thoughts, he continued to use the ring to scan the trinkets and books. Anything that made it heat up was levitated in one of the now empty trunks.

He found few bottomless bags. Some were torn and useless and joined the rest of the castoffs on the overly crowded bed. However, three were in good condition and he reckoned he could give one each to Ron and Hermione and keep the other.

After vanishing it clear of rejects off the bed, he took a short nap. When he got up, he ate some of the ready-made meals, drank the juice and water, and then started again. It was hard work going through so many years of junk. Many of the trunks were much larger on the inside; storing much more than he initially thought.

When the timer showed he was almost done, he shrunk the rest of the trunks and put the ones of harmful stuff to the side for the elves, vanished his bed again, placed everything else back in the three compartment trunk and closed it then put it at the end of his bed.

_Good thing all those spells I used are lightless. _Not wanting anyone to see spell work coming from his room.

His owl, Hedwig, was very put out that she couldn't fly during this time. Hooting resentfully, when she ate her treats showing her displeasure.

"I'm sorry girl. Next time I'll let you out before I set the timer. I'll write some letters for you to deliver or just let you outside. Forgive me?" the teenage wizard said, petting her head, trying to placate his irritated owl.

Hedwig turned her back on her master very miffed that he forgotten about her.

Poor Harry looked at her back and with a regretful sigh, he turned back to his task, hoping she would forgive him before nightfall.

Since he had set the timer for eighty minutes is was now close to 8:50 a.m., which should give him time to shower before the elves arrived. He figured he could do this for sixty minutes every morning and every night. That should give him time to sort through the rest of the trunks, then the books and after that he'd start studying. For now was going to take his shower.

That and he really needed to use the loo. He hadn't even thought of that when he set the timer for so long. He should've taken the warning more seriously. He had had to use an empty potion vials, he'd found in the trunks, to relieve himself. Not to mention how crampy he felt. He'd need to look up some hygiene spells for next time and see if there were any he could use for that. Or look in the camping book he had noticed and see if there was one for a temporary outdoor privy. He'd figure it out later. He had gotten so caught up in his excitement that he had pushed his discomfort aside. Now though, well he ran to the bathroom.

At this time in the morning his relatives would be busy with what they normally do on weekdays. His uncle would be at work, his aunt would be gossiping and his cousin would be terrorizing the neighborhood.

When he was done with his morning ritual, he went back to his room. He noticed that all three elves were waiting for him and his bed was made, the room was not clutter and was now dust free. Two looked very happy to see him, the excitement showed in their large eyes. The other looked like he'd rather be dead than be there, glaring at his new hated master with narrowed eyes.

On the desk was a tray of food, with eggs, bacon and toast. The young man was grateful that it was a simple breakfast, he wasn't really hungry after all the food he ate behind the timer, but he didn't want to disappoint Dobby, who seemed very pleased to serve his master.

Harry took the tray sat on his bed, while he talked to the elves between bites. "Dobby, are you guys all done with the attic?" The young man asked the high-strung house elf.

"We is being done with the attic, sir. We is having many, many trunks full of dark objects," Dobby said, stimulated that they had accomplished the attic in the time they had been assigned.

"That's great," Harry praised all of them with a beaming smile, though Kreacher didn't seem to appreciate it. "Did you get Mrs. Black off the wall?" The teenager asked, still eating. Ready-made meals were well and good, but Dobby's meals were much better.

"We has taken the picture off the wall and has put it in the attic," Dobby said bouncing up and down in excitement. That portrait had put up quite a fight; it was a good thing the house had been empty at the time. The screams alone would have woken the dead. He had had to fight Kreacher off as well, even though it had been Kreacher's job to take the portrait off the wall.

"That's good. You guys did a wonderful job. Did you tell Dumbledore that you found a family and what did he say?" he asked the two smiling house elves, ignoring the scowling one for the moment. _Thank Merlin, I don't have to put up that damn picture._ Harry was sure everyone would be glad of this fact.

"Dobby and Winky is telling Master Whiskers we is finding a family. Master Whiskers is telling us he is happy for us. He said he was being worried we might not survive as free elves. He is telling us that he is thinking that the magic at the castle is helping us," Winky answered.

The green-eyed teen nodded at that, thinking it was a good thing that Dumbledore hadn't questioned the house elves too closely as to who the new family was. Then again house elves were very loyal and they wouldn't tell even if questioned. It also made him feel a little better about the Headmaster that he thought of those working in the castle.

"That was kind of him. Now Dobby, if you would be so kind as to take the trunks from the attic to the Black family vault and take these trunks by the wall here as well, please," Harry waved to the trunks he had set aside.

"Winky, I was wondering if you could make the clothes I found fit me. And also bring me the trunks of useful stuff you found in the attic." He indicated the pile of clothes he had left on top of the trunk.

The female elf nodded her head in understanding.

"Kreacher," He turned to the oldest elf, "I need you to go back to Grimmauld Place and start on the top floor, clean the rooms from any dark creatures and place anything of value in a separate trunk. Keep out things like the silverware and other minor valued stuff. I don't want the Order members thinking someone is emptying out the house. They usually don't go past the third floor anyway. We'll just have to keep an eye on everything. Oh, and Kreacher, close down the library." He knew that until trust was formed between him and Kreacher he'd need to be more demanding of that particular elf than he was of the two devoted ones. It was a good thing he ordered them to ban Mundungus.

Kreacher scowled, but reluctantly nodded his head once to show he was listening.

Harry straightened up from is now empty plate and faced all the elves. "While all of you are cleaning, put anything cursed in another trunk and Dobby will take the trunks to the Black family vault. Dobby, after you are done please help Kreacher, but listen for my call I'll have a letter that I'll need you to get to the goblins and Hedwig is too noticeable to take it for me," The teenager concluded.

If her barks of displeasure were any indication, Hedwig didn't sound too happy at being bypassed, again. Harry sighed, he was going to have to do something extra special for his owl to get back in her good graces.

"Dobby will be happy to do as Harry Potter says," Dobby said bounced in place, hats that he still wore threatening to fall off his head.

"Winky will be doing as Harry Potter asks," Winky said, delighted to have something to do as well. She really hadn't liked being free and now she was part of an important family again. She'd do anything to please her Master; after all he had saved her.

"Kreacher must be doing as the Master is saying, but Kreacher is not happy about this," Kreacher looked like he'd rather have his head on the wall of Grimmauld Place then take orders from this master, but he was a bound elf and had no choice in the matter.

And after the conformation of their instruction the elves went to work. Dobby popped out with one of the trunks and the breakfast dishes.

Winky set about fixing and shrinking or enlarging the clothes to fit the skinny wizard.

Kreacher hastily left with a 'pop', glad to be away from a master he felt was beneath him.

Harry nodded in compliance. _This should work_, he thought as he started to get ready for the day.


	6. Letters and the Article

**Chapter 6: Letters and the Article**

_Again, not much has changed in this chapter, though I did add the eye doctor. Revised 1/2/16._

_Thanks for your support and reviews. _

**Hphphp **

While the elves went about their tasks, Harry went outside to tend to Aunt Petunia's garden. It was his only chore today and he wanted to be seen by whoever was set to watch him. That and he liked gardening, it was relaxing and it gave him time to think. While he set about digging the flower beds and trimming the hedges around the garden, he tried to organize all he had learned this morning and all he needed to still do.

As Harry his mind drifted, he started making plans; he wanted to go through those books. Maybe, there would be one or two about _Occlumency_. Voldemort was quiet in his head right now, but he didn't want to take the chance that that would change –not knowing without the _horcrux_ it wouldn't. He also needed to learn it so that when he left his aunt's, Snape and Dumbledore wouldn't know what he had been doing over the summer.

The dark-haired teen figured that in a week's time he'd be going to Grimmauld Place and his timer would only be able to be used for sixty minutes at a time. So he needed to learn as much as he could before then.

He also needed to get his homework done as well. Though last year was the OWL's, they had been given extra credit homework for any class they wanted to keep. Plus, if what the healer said was true he should practice his magic and get it under control.

He wanted to keep the fact that he was an adult under wraps for now, so he was going to hold off practicing magic until he got to Headquarters. Since Grimmuald Place was invisible to anyone outside, the lights from spell fire shouldn't be seen from the windows. Even under the timer here, there might be quick bright flashes he wouldn't be able to explain.

He'd write his friends so they wouldn't worry or get suspicious. Harry loved his friends dearly. However, they'd probably make him tell Dumbledore what he'd been up to. That and he knew Ron would be jealous. No, it was easier not to tell them. He'd tell them he found the bottomless bags at a second hand store in the neighborhood and that the store didn't even know what they had, so he was helping keep the Statute of Secrecy by buying them and any other wizard stuff that was there. _Yeah, that is what I'll do. _

_That would also help explain my new clothes. Maybe I can talk them in to learning to protect their minds. Then I can trust them with my secrets. _Harry hated keeping secrets from his friends, but needs must.

Finishing up the garden, Harry brushed the loose grass and dirt off his pant knees and wandered down the street to the few stores that were near his house. Little Whining was in the County of Surrey, and while there were many shops further away from his house, there were only a few nearby. As luck would have it there was a second hand store and a one hour eye doctor. He first went to the oculist and got his eyes checked. They told him held have to come back in a week to get his new contacts. He then went to the second hand store and purchased a few things so he could be seen with a bag.

The now burdened teen made his way back to the Dursleys, then up to his room. All the elves were gone. All the trunks designated to the vault were also missing. There was a large pile of folded and repaired clothes on his bed. After he emptied his bag, he picked up the newly restored clothes and placed the trousers in his old school trunk and hung the shirts and robes in the wardrobe.

Harry noticed that there were very few shirts in the mix, but he figured that he could purchase some here in Surrey or perhaps Winky could trade for some in the Junk Shop. The wizard robes all looked new and he was glad that he now had more than his school robes. After he was finished, he looked around the spotted some old battered trunks stacked along the wall that had been hidden by his wardrobe. He put them in the first compartment of the main trunk. He'd go through them later.

Deciding that now would be a good time to write to his friends, the young man sat at his desk and penned a few letters. The first one was to Ron:

_**Ron**_

_**I hope you're having a good summer. Nothing much going on here, the Dursleys are leaving me alone. I think they're afraid of Mad-Eye Moody. Either way, they're simply ignoring me and that is just fine with me.**_

_**How's your family? Are you going to be going to Padfoot's old place in a week? That's when Dumbledore says that I'll be able to go. I hope to see you there. **_

_**Have you been able to fly or practice your Quidditch? I hope that Dumbledore can lift that lifetime ban now that Umbridge is gone. **_

_**I found this bottomless bag at a second hand store; they didn't even know what it was. There was loads of wizard stuff there. I bought it all 'cause it was really cheap. We can go through it and see if there's anything you want, when we get to Headquarters. You can pay me back later. It's a good thing I changed some of my galleons for pounds last time I was in Diagon Alley. I found three of these bags and figured that we could use them for school. **_

_**Hope to see you soon and give my love to your family.**_

_**Harry**_

The second letter was to Hermione:

_**Hermione**_

_**I know you're worried about me, but I'm doing good. I hope you're too. I've come to terms with Padfoot's death, so don't worry about that. I did blame myself for a while and then I decided that Sirius was a grown man and should've known better than to be joking around during a fight. **_

_**I love Sirius, but I don't think Azkaban did him any favors and nothing anyone said would've made him stay home that day. No, I'm not blaming Padfoot; I'm blaming Bellatrix and Voldemort. They're the ones who set this all up. It's Voldemort's plan to ruin or kill me. It's him I blame the most.**_

_**I've started my homework and should be done by the time I get to Padfoot's old place. I can't wait until we get our OWL's. I'm hoping that I got high enough to get into potions. Though I'm not sure if I still want to be an Auror, perhaps I'll be the Defense professor, you don't need potions for that.**_

_**I found this bottomless bag at a second hand store; they didn't even know what it was. There was a lot of wizard stuff there. I bought it all 'cause it was really cheap. It's a good thing I changed some of my galleons for pounds last time I was in Diagon Alley. I found three of these bags and figured that we could use them for school. I sent one to Ron, but I'm sure you'll appreciate it more. Now you can carry more books and not have them weigh you down. I figured you, me and Ron could go through everything when we're all at Padfoot's old place and see who wants what.**_

_**The Dursleys are leaving me alone and I'm being well fed. Nothing much is going on here and I'm hoping to leave the next week. Are you going to be there? It'll be good to see you again.**_

_**Harry**_

The third was to Remus:

_**Remus**_

_**I hope you're well. I'm also hoping that you're not blaming me for what happened at the Ministry. I know I'm partly to blame for not keeping Voldemort out of my head. I know you're the one who this has hit the hardest and if you're not blaming me, I was wondering if you'd want to share this grief. **_

_**I miss him, Moony, and I think we should talk and get to know each other better. Padfoot considered you his best friend and that makes you someone I'd like to get to know. **_

_**Things are going well with the Dursleys. They took your threats seriously and are leaving me alone. I'll write again one more time before I go to Headquarters. **_

_**Harry**_

Figuring he would keep up with his other friends, the fourth was to Neville:

_**Hey Neville**_

_**I hope you're having a good summer. Things are okay here. **_

_**I found these seeds in a second hand store near my house. They feel magical so I bought them with a whole bunch of other stuff. I thought you might like to see what they were. I don't know of anyone better than you at Herbology, so here you go and let me know what they are when we see each other at school. **_

_**I probably will be going into hiding soon so except for our birthday —you did know mine was the day after yours, right?— you won't hear from me until then. **_

_**Have a good rest of your summer**_

_**Harry**_

The fifth was to Luna:

_**Hey Luna**_

_**I hope you're having a good summer. Catch anything yet? **_

_**I found this necklace in a second hand store. It's not very pretty, but I thought you might like it. Something about it just screams to me 'Give me to Luna' so I am. **_

_**I'm probably going into hiding soon so I won't see you until school. **_

_**Have a safe summer**_

_**Harry**_

The teenager finished his letters and put them to the side, with the gifts, to have them delivered before he put the timer on. He thought about sending one to Ginny, but decided against it. She had just started dating Dean and he didn't want to step on any toes. He gave a brief thought about chances missed and then shrugged it off. Maybe, he'd look into getting a girlfriend this year; he was a teenage male after all. Besides, a girlfriend might give him more of a reason to fight. It was now 3 p.m. so he took out his Charms book and started on his summer homework.

After rereading his godfather's letter, later that night, Harry decided he would send a letter off to the goblins to find out if what Sirius said about the Prophet was true. While he toyed with the idea of writing to the Quibbler, he felt that the Prophet had more subscribers. He also needed to check to see if his manager had found who his solicitor was. Setting quill to parchment once again, he wrote:

_**Spearhead**_

_**I hope this letter finds you well. I'm looking to see if you've found my family solicitor and if they're still on retainer. I'd like to know if I own any shares of the Daily Prophet. You may have to ask Axegrind to see if the Blacks had any shares. **_

_**If you have this information for me please give to this house elf. He'll wait until you have a reply. **_

_**May your gold flow freely**_

_**Harry Potter**_

The green-eyed teen called Dobby to him. "Dobby."

Quick as a flash the high-strung house elf popped into his room. "What can Dobby be doing for Harry Potter sir?"

"Hello, Dobby," the teenager said kindly. "I take it you're done getting the trunks to the vault?"

"Yes sir, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is putting them right where Harry Potter is telling. Dobby is now working on the top floor of Harry Potter's Paddy's house," Dobby said, nodding his head vigorously.

"Thank you, buddy, you're a good elf," Harry said, and then handed the letter to the little elf. "I need you to take this letter to Spearhead at Gringotts, make sure he is alone. Wait for a reply for me, please."

"Dobby can be doing this. Dobby will be careful. Dobby will wait for the goblin to answer Harry Potter," Dobby said as he took the letter and with a 'pop', away he went.

Now that tentative plans had been made, the excited teenager was going to wait until around 10 p.m. to set his timer so that the Dursleys would be asleep and less likely to notice anything amiss. So he took out his Transfiguration homework, settled back into the rickety chair at his tattered old desk, and reread it to make sure that is was correct.

At 9:55 p.m. he checked to make sure the Dursleys were asleep, sent off Hedwig with the letters and gifts and put his homework away. At 10 p.m. he set the timer and got to work on the trunks the house elves had brought. It didn't take long as there were only three. He then emptied the third compartment of the three compartment trunk and put it all on his bed. The trinkets and useful stuff he put in the first compartment and set the books aside.

He looked through the school books checking to see if there were any sixth year books that he could use. A few didn't look too out of date. So he set them aside to see if they were on his list. He then used the ring to check to see if any of the books were cursed. This was the Black family after all. The ones that set the ring off he levitated in one of the empty trunks he had left out for that purpose. The rest he put to the side to check out later. After he got all the cursed books in the trunk, he shrank it and set it against the far wall. Now he could browse the titles and see if there was a book on _Occlumency_, because he needed to make that his priority. He found three books and put them on his nightstand.

Going by the titles, he had sorted all the books in four categories —Light, Dark, Grey and school— hoping he got them right. He put them back in the second compartment and started reading the first _Occlumency_ book.

He then ate and slept, trying to clear his mind beforehand. When he woke, he read some more and learned there were different ways to meditate and he had to decide which one worked for him. So he started these for the rest of the timer.

When the timer warned that is was almost up, he knew it would be around 11 p.m. So he put the books away and got ready to sleep real time. After taking the timer down, he once again tried to clear his mind. His thoughts reflected again on the subject of Voldemort's soul piece and wondered if now that it was no longer in his scar would he still be connected to that monster? He didn't know. Still is protecting his mind wouldn't hurt, because he still had Snape and Dumbledore to worry about.

After going to the loo and emptying the bottles again, the teenager smacked his forehead. He forgot to look up hygiene spells. _I'm going to have to stop getting caught up in stuff. I guess I'm just used to being locked in my room —while in this house._

Since he wasn't very tired and they'd likely be in the Light books. He opened the trunk to the second compartment and looked through the titles. He found the one for wizard camping and decided to see if it had what he was looking for. After browsing the table of content, he did see there was a chapter on hygiene and how to make an indoor privy. So he looked up the showering and a teeth cleaning spell, also one for bodily waste. If he decided that he didn't like those, he'd go with the privy.

The Dursleys would have fits if he took a shower this late at night. After casting the hygiene spells (being careful not to overpower them and hoping whoever was watching him didn't notice the lights) he settled down to get some sleep.

Around midmorning the next day, after Harry's timer, Dobby popped in with a note from Spearhead that stated that he had found the solicitor. The name and address was in the note so Harry could write him. He also indicated that Harry owned 65% of the Prophet with both the Black and the Potter shares. These shares made him the largest shareholder. If he hadn't received the shares from Sirius, then he would be an average shareholder. It was no wonder the Prophet got away with all the slander last year. Now though, he was a major shareholder and he could have some say in what was printed.

Later that day after doing some more gardening, the messy-haired teenager sat at his desk and wrote a note to the solicitor:

_**Mr. Blackwater **_

_**I hope this note finds you well. I know from my account manager, Spearhead, that you're on retainer. I'm sorry I've not written before and hope that we can communicate through my house elf, Dobby. **_

_**I'd like for you to be my go-between for the Daily Prophet. They've slandered my name in the past and I'd like them to print a retraction. In addition, I'd like it if you could deliver the enclosed letter to the editor and remind him that I now have controlling shares of the paper. **_

_**I would also like to sue the authors of the children's stories about me, which are rampant in the wizarding world. As I've never given an interview to anyone before the Tri-Wizard Tournament. **_

_**I need this to remain between us, as no one else needs to know how I conduct my business. If you can't meet my terms please let me know by sending a reply. **_

_**May our business be fruitful for both of us**_

_**Sincerely**_

_**Harry Potter, Lord Black**_

To the Prophet he wrote:

_**Dear Editor and Readers**_

_**My name is Harry James Potter, I'm sure you've heard of me from this paper and others. I'd like to state that most of what you've read is **_**false**_**. I hadn't even heard of the wizarding world before my first year at Hogwarts, so all the books about me I can tell you now are **_**lies**_**. These books have led you to believe that I'm the next Merlin. I can tell you right now that I'm not. I'm just Harry. I want it to be known that I've given two interviews and they were for the Tri-Wizard Tournament and last year for The Quibbler. **_

_**It's said that I'm the only one who can defeat the so called Dark Lord Voldemort and while this may or may not be true –I cannot do it alone. There are 27,500 plus magical people in Great Britain and there are maybe thirty to fifty wizards and witches that are followers of Voldemort. **_

_**I'm a sixteen year old boy and will try to protect the wizarding world best I can. However, I need some help. I'm not asking that you face The Dark Idiot or his followers, but take a step and find ways to protect yourself, your families and your homes. Practice simple get-away or defense spells such as the **_**Jelly Leg Jinx**_**.**_

_**In addition, I want it to be known that as long as the Ministry employs people like Dolores Umbridge— I'll not support them. For those who don't know, Ms. Umbridge was the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts last year. She was made the first High Inquisitor and then after Headmaster Dumbledore was removed, she became headmistress. **_

_**I'd like for everyone to know that this person was the one who sent the Dementors after me last summer, which she stated in front of witnesses. This caused me to have to undergo a trial in front of the entire Wizengamot for underage magic and preforming magic in front of a Muggle. I was found innocent, but never should have stood trial in the first place. **_

_**Ms. Umbridge also used a **_**Black Quill**_** on students for detention. This is her own invention that uses blood as ink by carving words into the hand of the person who is writing. I've the scars on the back of my hand to prove it. **_

_**Let it also be known that she tried to cast an Unforgivable on me in front of those same witnesses. She also had no problem calling anyone whom she didn't like bigoted names.**_

_**She claims she did all this with the support of the Ministry. These are just the things she did to me. I implore you to ask your children what she did to them. **_

_**I call on the Minster for Magic to prove he has the best intentions for this country and dismiss this beastly woman from the Ministry and bring her up on charges. I call upon the parents of the students of Hogwarts to let the Ministry know you will not stand by and let them torture your children. **_

_**Harry Potter **_

Harry summoned Dobby to him and when the elf appeared he gave him the instructions to take the letters to Mr. Blackwater. He did some more homework while he waited for a response. About an hour later Dobby came back with a letter stating that Mr. Blackwater would, of course, be his solicitor as he had been his dad's (James) and had been waiting for the last remaining Potter to answer his owls so he could stop the slander. He also stated that he'd make an appointment with the Prophet and get Harry's letter in the paper by next week. He'd see about the retraction at that time. He'd also look into stopping the printing of the children's books and suing the authors.

The excited teenager sent a quick note stating the he had had an owl diverting charm on him for protection, but that it was no longer there. He did ask that he only communicated through Dobby though.

The rest week went as follows; in the morning he'd set the timer for eighty minutes and read the Light books and worked on his _Occlumency_. When the timer was done he'd go and do his chores outside and then for the rest of the afternoon he'd do his homework. After he ate dinner with his relatives, to avoid suspicion, he'd set the timer for the same amount of time and study the Grey books and work on his _Occlumency_. He wanted to wait on studying the Dark books until he was at Grimmauld Place so when he was done with them he could leave them in the library.

He did go and get his contacts. He also got updated glasses in case he ran out of drops and cleaning solution. They were much better than his battered old glasses and he couldn't wait to get on the pitch to test them out.

He figured he'd use Sirius' old room instead of sharing one with Ron. He'd use the time behind the timer to practice his magic. If he started with first year stuff he should be in control by the start of term. There would be about six weeks after he was in Grimmauld Place before he returned to Hogwarts. By that time he'd have gone through all the books and perfected his mind arts and regain control over his magic.

Each night that week, after the timer, he talked to the house elves and had them start on another part of the house, if they were done with the one prior.

Dobby was still taking trunks to the vault and helping Kreacher.

Kreacher had banned Mundungus Fletcher from the house, had locked down the library. He was still recovering all the things that had be stolen or thrown out and was putting the cursed ones in trunks for the vault.

Winky was still bringing him the trunks of stuff she thought was useful. She had brought many clothes for her Master to go through and had boxed up all the clothes he didn't need (like female clothes and really odd ones) and traded them at the Junk Shop for more shirts and some shoes.

Harry talked with the goblins through letters sent with Dobby and they told him that there was a curse breaker going through the Black family vault every day. It would take about three months before all the dark objects were cleared or destroyed, longer if he keeps bring things in. They had found another soul anchor and sent it to the mystics to get it cleansed. It was on a cup that was taken from the Lestrange vault.

The dark haired wizard needed to go through the Dark books to see if he could find a way to recall the soul fragments from these anchors and reunite them and make them pass on. If this is what was keeping Voldemort bound to the earth then he needed to be rid of them. He wondered if he killed Voldemort again and then got rid of the anchors would Voldemort move on to the other realm? If he couldn't find such a spell he'd have to find out how many anchors there were and how to find them. He wasn't really sure how he was going to do that. He just knew it had to be done.

**Hphphp**

**The Black Quill (or Blood Quill) is a dark magical object of torture that is a type of quill that does not require ink, as it writes with the blood of the person using it. It was invented by British Ministry of Magic employee Dolores Umbridge sometime before 1995.**

_I got that straight off Harry Potter Wikia, for those of you that don't believe that Dolores could invent something like that._


	7. Grimmauld Place

**Chapter 7: Grimmauld Place**

_I added a bit, and restructured some paragraphs and sentences. Revised 1/3/16_

**Hphphp**

It was now two weeks into the summer and Harry had received letters from his friends and Remus. Ron's letter was mostly about how boring the Burrow was, how he was practicing his Quidditch and how he couldn't wait to get to Grimmauld Place. Though Harry had to wonder why, remembering all the complaining the redhead had done last summer about how boring the house was.

Hermione's was about homework, concern about Harry and that she'd not be coming to Grimmauld Place for another two weeks as she was on vacation with her parents, but hoped to be there for Harry's birthday.

Remus's letter was on how he didn't blame Harry and that Sirius was a grown man who made his own decisions. The werewolf claimed it was Voldemort and Bellatrix who were to blame. He wanted to spend time with the last remaining Potter so they could share stories about Sirius together.

Both Luna and Neville thanked him for the notes and gifts and told him they understood that he would be out of touch.

Dumbledore also sent a note to Harry, telling him to be ready on July 15th at 6 p.m. and someone would come and get him.

He sent off a quick response to each person letting them know that he would be seeing them soon or on the train, as the case may be.

It was now the fifteenth, so here he sat with his trunk ready for someone to come and pick him up. He had already put the three compartment trunk in his school trunk. He decided to wear his new glasses and leave his contacts for later, hoping that no one would notice. He sent Hedwig to Grimmauld Place to wait for him there. The Dursleys didn't want to be there when the wizards came and so they had left for dinner.

There was a knock on the door at exactly 6 p.m. Wand in hand, Harry looked through the peep-hole. It was Remus. Opening the door, security chain still engaged, the dark haired wizard asked, "Why didn't you want to face the Boggart in my third year?" keeping his wand hidden behind the door.

"Because it is the full moon," The werewolf answered.

Harry closed the door and released the chain; he reopened it and gave the last Marauder a manly one-armed hug. "Good to see you, Remus. I hope you've a quick way to get to Headquarters 'cause I really don't feel flying is the safest way," he said, looking over the man in front of him.

The werewolf looked bad. The bags under his eyes were deep and dark, his clothes were ragged and hanging off his skinny frame. He seemed to have dropped a stone that he couldn't afford. He looked like it was the day after the full moon, but Harry knew that the full moon wasn't for another fifteen days. He hoped that Snape was still providing the _Wolfsbane Potion_ so that Remus had one less thing to worry about.

Remus would never replace Sirius, because unlike Sirius, he hadn't been there for Harry. Even with the owl redirect charm, the werewolf should've been able to find Harry when he was working in the Muggle World.

At least Sirius had reasons, like prison and being on the run. Yet, his godfather still found time to help is godson/son when he could. The werewolf never did, not even when he was a professor at Hogwarts. The only time he helped was in teaching Harry the _Patronus Charm_ and when he saw Sirius and Pettigrew on the map. However, the young wizard knew that Sirius considered Remus his best friend, so maybe they could work out a tentative friendship and share the grief over their lost loved one.

"Yes, we are going by _Portkey_, as we both know the secret," the tired looking man said, bringing Harry's thoughts back to the conversation, as he held out a tin can.

"Can you shrink my trunk? It'd be easier," Harry said, pointing to his school trunk.

"Of course," Remus said softly and pulled out his wand and shrunk the trunk.

Harry picked it up and put it in his pocket. He then put his finger on the tin ready to go.

The ex-professor then said the password "Headquarters" and with a pull at the navel they were off.

After the teenager picked himself off the floor, he noticed they were in the now clean, but still dark colored, sitting room. The curtains closed and torn making the shadows, caused by the flickering gas-lights, seemed bigger in the corners and the worn furniture added to the dreary atmosphere.

Harry and Remus were surrounded by a sea of redheads. Most of the Weasley family was there. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, then the twins— Fred and George—Ron and Ginny were all trying to get his attention, Charlie was still in Romania and Percy was estranged from the family (he still believed that Harry was and attention seeking liar).

Mrs. Weasley got to him first and pulled him into a rib crushing hug. "Oh, Harry, dear, look at you all skin and bones. I have dinner on the stove and it'll be ready in a few minutes, dear. You'll be sleeping with Ron in the same room as before," she said with her usual mothering ways.

Harry was a little insulted; he didn't think he was that skinny, he was sure he had added at least a stone this summer. "Sorry, Mrs. Weasley, I'm going to be sleeping in Sirius's old room. I figure that me and Ron are old enough to not have to share a room outside of school. Nothing personal, Ron," the dark-haired wizard said, looking at his best mate in hopes that he'd back him up.

"No worries, mate. I feel the same way. I'm used to having my own room at home," Ron shrugged, completely indifferent.

"But that room isn't ready to be used yet," protested Mrs. Weasley. "We haven't gotten Sirius's stuff out of there and who knows what adult things are in there. No, dear, you will have to stay with Ron," she said, patting his arm as if it were final.

"I'll have Kreacher make it ready, Mrs. Weasley. It'll be okay. I'm the owner of the house and he'll do as he is told," Harry replied firmly, standing a little taller and looking her in the eye.

Deciding to hold off the argument for later, she sighed. "While you're at it, ask him what happened to the portrait of Mrs. Black. Not that anyone is complaining, but I'd like to know. We tried asking him, but he hasn't spoken a word to us since we arrived. See if he'll talk to you. Can you see if he is the one cleaning the house? I was hoping that the children would have something to do besides their homework," she said, wringing her hands in the futile effort to think of something to busy her children and keep them out of mischief. With no Quidditch or gnomes to throw, there was only this house to clean. She glanced at the twins and saw the manic looks in their eyes, causing her to think faster. She only had to keep _them_ busy during the evening since they had opened their joke shop.

"I told Kreacher to take the portrait down and put it in the attic," Harry shrugged it off like it was no big thing. "It's part of his punishment for lying to me. I also have him cleaning the house. It's not fair to you to have to clean a house that is not yours." He shuddered at the reminder of all the pests they had tried to clear out last summer. No, this was not a job for him or his friends. Thank Merlin for the house elves.

"When did you have time to do all of that?" Mrs. Weasley asked, cutting him a motherly glare. "You didn't leave the Dursleys did you?" she all but accused.

"No, Mrs. Weasley," Harry lied, though he didn't leave to give orders, "I called him to my room. Dumbledore was the one who let me know that it was up to me to take care of him."

"Oh, well, I guess that's okay then. Albus must have known what you were doing," she said with a smile. "Still, I don't like you having him do the house work."

"Don't worry; I'll make sure he takes care of himself. Kreacher," Harry called and with a pop Kreacher appeared grumbling something under his breath that the teen didn't quite catch. "Kreacher, I want you to clean up Sirius's old room for me. Put all his stuff in a trunk and put it in my vault and put my trunk there," he ordered, pulling out his trunk. "Could someone enlarge this for me so Kreacher can put it in my room?" he asked. Remus pulled out his wand and enlarged the trunk. "Thanks, Remus."

Kreacher then took the trunk, and with a hate filled glare, disappeared.

"Good, now that that's done, let's eat," Harry said, clapping his hands together. "It smells delicious, Mrs. Weasley."

"Thank you, dear. Come along everyone and help set the table," the matronly woman ordered and they all trooped into the kitchen and soon enough the table was set and they all got comfortable, while Mrs. Weasley set about finishing dinner. Ron, Ginny and Harry talked about Quidditch. Remus and the twins talked about pranks they pulled in school. Mr. Weasley read the paper. Bill was reading some scrolls from his work.

Like the sitting room the kitchen was clean, however, the dark woods and old appliances made it seem in dire need of renovation.

"Harry, how did you get Kreacher to clean the house and remove the portrait?" Remus asked, gaining the young man attention. "He never listened to Sirius."

"I've never been mean to Kreacher, well not until after Sirius died and he lied to me. He and Sirius have hated each other a long time. Mrs. Black made Kreacher do some pretty bad things to Sirius when he was growing up," he explained, wondering why Remus didn't know this. "That and I've had Kreacher remove a lot of dark objects from the house and put them in my vault until I can get someone to take the curses off. I think they were having a negative effect on him. With Mrs. Black's portrait off the wall, the only one giving him orders is me," Harry answered truthfully, hoping that everyone believed that Kreacher was the only one doing the housework.

"Well, that does make sense," the werewolf said, after thinking about and remembering the reasons Padfoot had run away as a teen. "I haven't noticed him being any nicer than he was before, however, the house does look much better. By the end of summer it should look good as new." He waved his arm, indicating the clean kitchen.

"Harry, you shouldn't have Kreacher doing all the work, he's old. We've no problem cleaning the house. We really can't trust Kreacher to be around the Order," the redheaded mother chastised again as she placed a plate with roast beef on the table.

"Mrs. Weasley, I want to keep Kreacher busy so he doesn't get into trouble. He's not that old and he must be made useful. Too much free time on his hands and he'll get in to trouble. I've given him orders not to talk to anyone but me, so he can't go spilling Order secrets," Harry replied in half truths. "And as I said, you shouldn't be cleaning a house that's not yours. And it's unfair to ask underage children to clean up the harmful creatures that a house elf can take care of with just a few snaps of his fingers." He watched as she smacked Ron's hand from the roast.

"Ron, wait until the rest is served," she said and then turned back to Harry. "Well if you feel that is for the best, Harry, dear, but I think I'll continue to do the cooking. It's not fair for you to have a house elf feed my family. And everyone will clean their own room," she said, patting his shoulder as she passed him on the way back to the stove.

"Fair enough," Harry said with a nod.

"Harry, did you tell Kreacher close the library? And are you the reason Mundungus is no longer allowed in the house?" Remus asked the questions that had plagued the Order's minds. It had cause quite a ruckus when Dung couldn't get in the house. Dumbledore was most upset.

"Yes, to both questions. I caught Fletcher stealing last summer and thought Sirius had taken care of that. Though now that I think about it, I don't think Sirius really cared what happened in this house," Harry answered, knowing Sirius didn't care.

To Sirius this had been a prison as much as Azkaban had, as well as a reminder of his less than happy childhood. The memories and the nightmares must have been hard on his godfather— he still wasn't use to thinking Sirius was his other father.

"Plus," the teen continued, after shaking his head to clear his thoughts, "I wanted to make sure the library is closed, because some of books are really dark and I'm dead sure many have curses on them. I'm hoping that Bill could go through and remove the curses from them and then we'll see if I open it." Harry knew what he said was true. He was getting tired of people questioning his every move. _Then again, when did the adults ever listen to me? Merlin, I've only been here for a few minutes and two adults have already taken me to task. _He'd have to get it through their head that this was his house.

Bill was still reading his scrolls and wasn't paying attention to the conversation. Ron and Ginny were paying attention, but let Remus and Harry handle it for now. The twins were talking to their dad about something and Molly was bringing the rest of dinner.

"Dumbledore wasn't happy that someone from the Order wasn't allowed in the house, Harry," Remus indicated, mildly disapproving. "Thank you, Molly," he added when she placed a bowl of stewed vegetables in front of him.

"He should be glad that I didn't bar Snape. I can you know?" Harry snapped as his green eyes hardened. "If I want I can tell Dumbledore to find another house to use for the Order. However, I won't do that. I know how important it's to have a safe place for them to meet. I just don't want that thief in this house. He's not to be trusted around nice things." He folded his arms defiantly.

Kreacher popped into the room. "Master's room is ready," he spat, still being his vile self.

"Thanks, Kreacher. Mrs. Weasley is going to continue cooking for her family and the Order. Make sure that food is stocked and that you don't disturb her. The Weasleys will clean the rooms they're in. You may continue to clean the rest of the house," he ordered, trying to keep his voice kind.

Kreacher mumbled under his breath, sent Harry a glare and popped away.

"See he isn't any nicer to me. He just does as he is told, well so far anyway," the messy-haired teenager shrugged.

"Hermione's going to go spare when she hears you have a house elf," Ron predicted as he started serving himself some of the potatoes. Molly had just taken her seat, next to her husband, indicating that it was time to eat. The rest of the table started serving themselves as well.

"I wonder if Hermione did any research on house elves. I was talking to Dobby and he told me that elves required a wizard's magic to live. I mean, did she see one and hear what Nearly Headless Nick said about the elves not being paid and immediately think slave. I know the ones at Hogwarts don't want to clean Gryffindor tower anymore, 'cause of her S.P.E.W. campaign. Only Dobby would and he told me that he and Winky found a family so they won't be at Hogwarts anymore. So I wonder who is going to clean the tower now," Harry inquired between bites of the roast. He knew if Hermione had asked any of the elves they would've told her they needed a bond to live.

"Don't know," Ron shrugged, "maybe, you can talk sense into her." and he turned his attention back to his plate.

"Why would a house elf come and tell you he found a family?" Remus asked. He seemed full of questions tonight.

"Dobby and Winky are my friends. They wanted me to know they wouldn't be at Hogwarts and that they were happy they found a family to work for," Harry lied, well mostly. His face took on an accusing look. "Why all the questions, Remus? Do you suddenly not trust me?"

Remus quickly looked ashamed. "No, it is not that I don't trust you, Harry. I am just curious by nature," he disabused that notion as quickly as he could. He really didn't want to destroy the uncertain relationship he had started forming with this young man.

Harry shrugged him off, for now, and returned to his plate and carried on the previous conversation with Ron and Ginny. He would have to keep a close watch on this man.

Dinner was finished shortly after and the dark-haired teen gave his excuses and when to his room. He put up some silencing charms and called the house elves to him. "You guys are going to have to be careful. There's going to be more people around here from now until school starts and Remus is acting wary of me. So far you're doing a great job at not being seen, be extra careful. Keep cleaning the house. The place looks almost new, even if it's still dreary," he said, after all three popped in.

He then addressed each elf in turn. First he addressed the elf that seemed to love his kiddy clothes and hats, "Dobby, I need you to see how the curse breakers at Gringotts are doing, please. I also need you to make sure all the dark objects are out of this house. Go room to room and double check, but leave the library alone I'm going to have Bill go through it.

"Winky," he said, turning to tea-towel wearing female elf, "I need you to replace all the old and worn bed linens and curtains, okay? Go to the vaults first and see what we have, if we don't have anything good then check the second hand store, if there is nothing there, then get them new. Get some that are light in color, I'm tired of all the darkness in this house. Also get some newer furniture, some kinda floral or striped print, again in brighter colors. Match the hangings if you can.

"Kreacher," he turned to the grumpy elf, whose pillowcase was now clean and sported the Black crest, "I need you to clean, fix or replace all the carpets, shine all the floors and rip down all the faded and torn wallpaper. If the walls are in good shape then leave them bare, if they're not then fix them and put up some bright but tactful wallpaper, solid or striped, coordinate with Winky."

He looked at each elf, noting their happy or unhappy faces. Dobby and Winky were practically bouncing to go and do as ordered, while Kreacher simply glared at him. "Remember you guys can't cook in the kitchen anymore; Mrs. Weasley will be taking over. Dobby, when you're done with checking for dark objects, I need more ready-to-eat meals. Ask Winky where she got them if you don't know. Everyone know what they need to do?" Harry asked a little out of breath after asking for so many requests.

"Dobby is understanding what Harry Potter is saying and getting to it right away," Dobby stated and popped out of the room.

"Winky is accepting her orders and will go first thing in the morning, Harry Potter, sir," Winky answered and with a 'pop' she was gone.

"Kreacher is doing what Master is saying. Kreacher is happy the house looks good again. Kreacher is still not happy to have a mostly half-blood master, but will do as he is saying," Kreacher grumbled, sent a poisonous look to his master before he too popped away.

Room empty now, Harry set the timer for sixty minutes and worked his way through the first few Dark books from his trunk. They were very disturbing. The tortures they describe were almost enough to make him lose his dinner. That and they all said that using such curses blackened your soul. It was a good thing he just wanted to learn the Dark Arts and not use them. But it would come in handy to know what shield to use for what spell.

After reading a particularly gruesome book, Harry started a new part of his routine. He had read in one of the Light books that exercise would help improve his magic and flexibility. So he started doing basic calisthenics. He wondered about the noise if he was in the timed room. _Would it be heard outside the room where time was going much faster?_ He figured that it would be so quick that no one would hear anything. Well he'd know in the morning if someone asked him about it. He'd have to remember to ask Dobby if he could get some high starch food and more protein as well. He wasn't trying to lose weight, after all, Merlin knows, he couldn't afford to.

When the timer let him know it was almost done he cleared everything back into the trunk and put it in his school trunk. He was really glad he had found those hygiene charms. After the time ran out, he took it down, practiced clearing and organizing his mind and went to bed.

The next morning no one said anything about any noise so he felt right about his theory. Breakfast was a noisy affair. All the Weasley, except for Percy and Charlie, were there. Ex-Triwizard Champion, Fleur Delacour, Auror Don't-call-me-Nymphadora- Just-Tonks and Remus were there as well.

They all settled, happily eating the large English breakfast that Molly had served, with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, toast and juice. There was tea and coffee as well.

There was quite the commotion when the paper arrived. There on the front page was Harry's letter. Along with a retraction from the paper about all they printed last few years. Once again Harry was held in a good light. They were calling him The Chosen One. But Harry knew the public was fickle and vowed that he'd try to keep them in a good opinion of himself. Hopefully, all he'd have to do was answer his post in positive notes.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? I thought you trusted me," said Ron as he threw the paper down on the table, folding his arms across his chest, looking much put out.

Harry went to defend himself when Molly's voice interrupted.

"Harry, how could you do this? Did you ask Professor Dumbledore?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her eyes narrowing in that I-know-you-did-something-wrong way. "You should have asked him first. You know he only what is right for you. Putting yourself in the public eye like this. You're only a child." She continued to glare at the dark-haired teen as if she could pull the answers right out of his head.

"I'm sorry Ron; I truly forgot I'd sent that in. I'd have told you last night, but I just didn't remember," he told his sulking mate, who looked mollified and then Harry turned to the mothering redhead. "Mrs. Weasley, I didn't do anything wrong. I'm just asking for people to protect themselves. I didn't say one thing that wasn't true. I shouldn't have to ask the Headmaster's permission to write to the paper. I'm sure he has more important things to worry about then a young man's ramblings. Besides, I've not been a child for a long time. This is something that had to be done. Now that the public is listening to me I want to make this world a safer place and if only a few listen to me then that's a few lives that are saved." He folded his arms across his chest and matched her glare.

She did not look like she agreed but there was little she could say. After all what's done is done.


	8. GP pt2 and The Fallout

**Chapter 8: Grimmuald Place pt. 2 and the Fallout**

_Not much changed in this chapter; I only took out a few sentences and added a few. Revised 1/3/16_

**Hphphp**

Shrugging it all off, Harry went about finishing his meal. When the teens were done with breakfast they went into the sitting room and played games. There really wasn't much to do in Grimmauld Place, now that the house elves were doing the cleaning. There was the library (which only Harry could get into) and the games in the sitting room (that the Weasleys as brought) and that was it.

Harry begged off after about two hours of losing chess to Ron, went to his room and started going over his homework. He did the Potions homework even though he still didn't know if he had a high enough OWL. He wanted to make sure Snape didn't have anything to complain about, just in case.

He noticed that a lot of the old textbooks had notes in the margins and figured it wouldn't hurt to check them out. He might get better grades if they proved to be improvements. He did his research and found that most of the notes were helpful. There were some comments that had absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the books. He decided he'd leave off on them until he could look into it further. But the ones he did research he added to his homework in the hope that he'd get a better grade. It was too bad there wasn't a sixth year potion book.

After Harry finished looking over his homework, he went to the library. He hadn't spent any here last summer, so he wasn't sure if the books were actually cursed or not. He brought his alert ring and ran it over a few. Sure enough there were curses on a lot of the books. He didn't understand why there were curses on the books in a family library, maybe to keep guests from reading them. But then again, there had been curses on the books from the trunks too. The Black family was just weird in his opinion. He figured he'd go and ask Bill and Remus to look them over and see if the curses could be removed. So he started back down stairs.

"Hey Bill, I was wondering if you could take a look at the library and see if the curses on the books could be removed. Let me know and I'll tell Kreacher to let you in," Harry stated when he had found the oldest brother coming up the stairs as he was going down. "I'm going to ask Remus as well."

"Sure I can take a look. I was wondering when you would ask," Bill said. And then whispered, "After all I'm going through the Black family vault, so why not the library." He nudged the teen in the side, good naturedly.

Harry's eyes bugged for just a second. He hadn't thought Bill would be assigned as one of the curse breaker for the Black vault. "You're not going to tell Dumbledore, are you? He doesn't know that I know about the will," Harry whispered frantically, his eyes darting over the older man's face, you could hear the desperation in his voice, see it in his eyes.

"I can't, I'm under contract with the goblins. I can't tell about anything I do for customers. I mean could tell about my digs in Egypt—well the sites and all, but I can't tell what treasures are found or anything like that. They only know it's dangerous. You should have seen the twins talk to the goblin nurse, Spellfollower, that one time I brought them to Gringotts when I was injured." He chuckled at that memory. "Anyway, I know we found some pretty interesting things in those trunks you had brought over from this house. But I can't tell Dumbledore about any of it," the redhead said with a wink, hoping to easy the boy's worry.

"Did you find any more soul anchors?" the young man asked, calming down a bit. That was a piece of information he needed to know.

"You mean after the cup? Then yeah, it was a locket that I'm sure you guys threw out last summer," Bill answered much to Harry's dread. "How did it get into your vault?"

"I had Kreacher go and steal back everything that was thrown away or stolen. And I'm dead sure he kept some stuff. I told him to give it all back and if it was cursed throw it in the vault, along with anything else he found that was cursed or dark. Please don't tell anyone about me. Dumbledore doesn't know about any of this and I'm trying to see how much he trusts me and if I can trust him. He hasn't even told me when the will reading is," Harry persisted. He really needed his secrets kept… well, secret. He hoped Bill would understand.

"I'll try," the confused curse breaker said. Everyone he knew trusted Dumbledore, well except the goblins, but they didn't trust anyone. "But, I won't say a word. However, Harry, I do know he cares about you. Why else would he go through the trouble of having the Order watch you?" his questioning eyes sought out the teen's.

"Let's just say he's not telling the Order everything either," he stated firmly as he met Bill's eyes with narrow ones of his own. "I know that you guys know about the prophecy, but he hasn't told you what it says. He told it to me the day Sirius died. I told him I wouldn't tell anyone what it said, but I can tell you this, he has to keep me alive to face Voldemort. That's why you're watching me. That way I'm won't get hurt until that time comes. So I need you to trust me that I know what I'm doing when it comes to Dumbledore," Harry insisted, practically begging for Bill to understand.

"Okay Harry. I'll keep your secrets for now. I can't tell most of them anyway so a few more wouldn't hurt. And don't worry _Occlumency_ is part of the training at Gringotts," Bill winked again, this time in secret's shared and understanding. Then he continued up the stairs and headed off for the library.

"Wait, I have get Kreacher to open it up to you. Kreacher." The disgruntled house elf popped in. "Kreacher, I need you to let Bill and maybe Remus in the library."

Kreacher stared for a moment, snapped his fingers, "It is done, Master."

"Thanks, you can go back to what you were doing," Harry said. The elf popped away. The teen turned back to older man, "You're good now."

Harry stayed where he was for a minute in thought, after Bill left. He was really worried about these soul anchors. The curse breakers found yet another one, which would make three that he knew about, maybe four. _Did he make more?_ he wondered. He wasn't sure how he was going to find them all if Voldemort had, but he had to do something. Maybe he should tell Dumbledore what they found, but then he'd have to come clean that he knew about the will and that he had had the goblins remove the one in his scar. He wasn't quite ready to do that yet. Well, he'd figure something out.

After that thought Harry turned and continued down the stairs and found Remus in the kitchen, going through a stack of letters with Fleur, Tonks and Mrs. Weasley. It was quite a large pile of post, some of it was falling off the table, but Mrs. Weasley just waved her wand and it settled back.

Remus looked up when the dark-haired teen entered the kitchen. "Good you are here. The owls started coming about an hour ago. They have not stopped since. We were just checking to make sure there are no curses or _Portkeys _on the letters. This stack over here is clean if you want to start opening them," he said pointing to a large stack to his left.

"Sure, let me get Ron and Ginny and see if they want to help. Maybe you can help me with a couple of form letters to answer all these. I was going to ask you to help Bill in the library, but thanks for helping in here. Though, I'm not sure how I'm going to get them all delivered," Harry said, scratching his head. He never really had to answer this much post before.

"Most of the owls stayed behind. I just sent them back outside. There is an owl post in Diagon Alley; I can take them for you when you are done," Remus answered as he continued sorting and scanning the missives.

"That'd be great, thanks Remus. Hey, how did the owls find me? I mean the house is hidden isn't it?" the teen asked with a tilt of his head.

It was Tonks that answered, "Owls can find anyone, anywhere and at any time. Don't believe that silly rumor that people can put tracing charms on them. 'Cause they can't, if the Aurors could catch criminals that way don't you think we would. I know it would make my job easier. But noooo," she shook her head in frustration, "the only way to trace an owl is to hop on your broomstick and follow it. But owls are smart, see. They just fly into tight places you can't go and voila no more followers. If they are seen, they can be intercepted, but they can't be followed."

"Oh, that make sense I guess. Let me see if Ron and Ginny need something to do. I need to get some stuff to answer all this with." And with that Harry left the room to look for his friends. He found them still in the sitting room and asked if they wanted to help. They said yes and the two redheads left for the kitchen. Harry went to his room to get ink and parchment. _It's a good thing I found all sorts of extras in those trunks. _Now laden with the material he needed, he made his way back to the kitchen and started going through the letters.

Most of the letters were a show of support. Some stated that they had asked their children if anything had happened with Umbridge and were told that, yes, they too were given abusive detentions. Others were outraged that Harry would speak out against the Ministry.

All the charmed or cursed ones and howlers were incinerated.

Remus helped Harry make three form letters and then told him that he would perform a spell that would take the name from the letter and put it on the form letter and return envelope. He'd show Harry the spell so he could use it later in school.

The first letter read:

_**Dear (insert name here)**_

_**Thank you for your support. I'm glad that my words were heard and I hope they're taking in the content they were meant. I did mean what I said and that I've only magical Britain's safety as my main concern. I also meant what I said about protecting your home. The goblins have offered to erected wards, for a fee. The fee depends on how secure you want the wards.**_

_**I understand how hard it is for you to think about protecting the ones you love. Remember, I've lost my entire family to this war—the guilt overwhelms me at times. I don't want anyone to feel that. **_

_**I also understand that going against Voldemort is something most wizards will not do. I want the people of magical Britain to do what they can to protect themselves and hide if they cannot fight.**_

_**I'd also like it that if you have grievances with the Ministry to voice them. You voted them in you can vote them out again. Remind them that if they stand for the people then the people will stand for them. It's time for everyone to stand up and fight the bigotry and hate that caused Voldemort to rise.**_

_**Think of it, only one quarter of magical Britain is pure-blood. Over half is half-blood and one quarter is muggle-born. We all need to stand together. It's sad that a lot of our society leaves the wizarding Britain for other countries because of the bigots that rule it. If we can stop that, then we will grow stronger.**_

_**I understand if protecting your family is the only way you feel you can help. I'll do my best to protect you and my loved ones.**_

_**Thanks again**_

_**Harry Potter**_

The second read:

_**Dear (insert name here)**_

_**It's truly a sad day that I was right and that I wasn't the only one to suffer under Umbridge's reign. I hope that you will take my words to heart and write the Ministry. Remind them that you're the ones that voted them in and that you will not tolerate this woman remaining in office. You will have my full backing in this matter. And if you have any other grievance with the Ministry, now is the time to voice them and remind them that if they stand for the people the people will stand for them.**_

_**It's time for the wizarding Britain to stand up against the bigotry and hate that causes people like Voldemort to rise. Remember only one quarter of magical Britain is pure-blood. Over one half is half-blood and one quarter is muggle-born. We all need to stand together. It's sad that a lot of our society leaves the wizarding Britain to other countries because of the bigots that rule it. If we can stop that then we will grow stronger.**_

_**I'd also like to stress how important it is to make sure your family is protected. The goblins are offering to ward houses, for a fee. The cost depends on how strong you want the wards. Remember I've lost my entire family to this war—the guilt overwhelms me at times. I don't want anyone to feel that.**_

_**You have my sympathy**_

_**Harry Potter**_

The third read:

_**Dear (insert name here)**_

_**I'm sorry that you feel that way. I do have my reasons for stating what I did. I have letters from other concerned parents that will tell you what I said was completely true. I'll back the Ministry when they live up to their promises and put the people first in this war, instead of hiding behind a sixteen year old boy. Which I'll remind you, they lead a smear campaign against just last summer and it was found that what they stated were lies. I feel that if the Ministry would get rid of their corrupt people they will again have the people behind them. I, for one, will stand with a Ministry that will stands for the people.**_

_**I do want to stress that even though I don't stand with the Ministry at this time I do want people to protect themselves. The goblins are offering to put up wards, for a fee. If you don't trust the goblins then maybe you can trust the humans that work at Gringotts. How much of a fee depends on the strength of the wards.**_

_**Sincerely**_

_**Harry Potter**_

They weren't the longest of letters, but they got the point across. And since Harry had never responded to the letters he had never received over the years, he felt some would be quite surprised. He only added the human factor to the people who supported the Ministry because they were usually pure-blood bigots.

He'd have to write Spearhead about the wards.

When they were almost done with the post, Dumbledore came in, wearing orange and green robes, with a matching hat. A few of the occupants of the kitchen blinked at him, then shrugged and continued to seal the letters. It had taken all day to answer them and they only stopped for lunch. "Ah, Harry, just the boy I was looking for. Pray tell, what is all this?" he asked, gesturing to the large pile of return post.

"These are the letters I got in response to the article in the Prophet this morning. We're just finished answering them," Harry answered as he finished sealing the last one.

"Ah yes, that is one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you, Harry. Shall we go into the sitting room?" Dumbledore asked as he made a grand gesture to the door.

"Sure," Harry said warily. He was still torn about how he felt about Dumbledore, but for now he'd let the man think he was still in charge. He'd figure out how to get out from under that thumb soon. Raising his still flimsy _Occlumency_ shields, he followed the headmaster in to the sitting room.

As they walked into the room Harry could tell the house elves had been busy. Gone were the dark pieces of furniture, replaced with a nice tan modern style set, a couch and four arm chairs, with light tan colored wooden tables next to each seat and one in the middle. Pictures of fruit and animals hung in place of the tapestries. The dirty and ripped wallpaper had been replaced with a nice beige striped pattern, and the carpet was mended and looked freshly wash. The fireplace was empty, but clean. There wasn't a dark object in sight and the overall feel of the room was homey. Something he never thought he'd feel in Grimmauld Place.

As they sat Dumbledore asked, "What were you thinking, my dear boy? Why would you think it was a good idea to make an enemy of Cornelius? I am sure your time would have been better spent on your homework or some other such youthful things. I have been fielding letters from angry parents all day. I know you didn't want to make trouble for me as well," he said in a disappointed voice, with his eyes twinkling.

"I don't want to make an enemy of Fudge, I just want him to clean house. And by telling everyone what Umbridge did last year and getting confirmation that she did it to others, I'm hoping he'll do the right thing and get her out of office. If there is one thing that I know about Fudge it is that he's always worried about what the people will think," Harry answered, biting back the need to yell. "Of course I don't want to make trouble for you, Headmaster, but it needed to be done. Besides I've finished my homework. There wasn't much to do at the Dursleys," he said, getting that little dig in. Now that he knew that Dumbledore knew how he was treated at the Dursleys, he'd make sure to express his displeasure as often as he could.

"That's Minister Fudge, Harry," the old man corrected like the professor he was. "I do hope this does not, as you young people say, come back to bite you. Now Harry, tell me why you will not let Mundungus in the house. Sirius had no problem with him here. I am sure we can find a way to work this out," Dumbledore said again with his I-know-better-than-you voice.

Dumbledore had a way of making people feel like they were letting him down if they did not follow him blindly. It was as if he wanted everyone to know that he was the man in charge of everything. After all he was Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and leader of the Order of the Phoenix. That was a lot of titles to be held by one man. Though he had been replaced last year as Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock, he regained those titles when it came out that Voldemort was back and that he had been telling the truth last year. Hubris; he was completely confident everything he said was law and no one could tell him different. So it really was no surprise that he demanded compliance from the people around him.

"Headmaster," Harry answered slowly, not at all cowed by the disappointed look. "Mr. Fletcher was caught stealing last summer. I know Sirius didn't care what happened to the things in this house, but there were some very dark things that he stole. And it was irresponsible of Sirius to let them leave the house," the teen didn't really want to talk ill of his godfather, but it was the truth. "And yes, before you ask, that is why I locked down the library. None of those books should leave that room until all the curses are lifted from them and then there are still some that no one should take for bedtime reading. I know that the Weasley kids would like to know what is in them, but can you honestly say they would be responsible about them. Not that that will stop them from sneaking in, after I open it, but they would get caught easier if they can't sneak the books out. And you know how Mrs. Weasley is about stuff like that. As this is now my house, I'm responsible for the things in it and who gets hurt by them." He folded his arms and took on a defiant look.

"Alas, I thought that was the case and that is very mature of you, my boy," the Headmaster said with approval in his twinkling eyes, as if was his idea all along. "Now Harry, if I have Mundungus take a pledge that he will not steal anything from the house will you let him back in? He is a very important person in the Order and it is quite inconvenient to have to hold a separate meeting just for him."

"Sure," Harry shrugged, "if he vows on his magic that he won't steal anything from the house or use the house to hide his stashes, I'll let him in. I'll make you responsible for him. After all, he is your lackey," he answered it was best to compromise and he was sure Fletcher would not want to lose his magic.

"Of course, of course, my boy, now if there isn't anything else I am sure Molly has dinner ready," Dumbledore said as he rose from his seat and headed to the kitchen.

"One more thing, Headmaster, can I go and get my eyes checked?" he asked as a test.

"Are you not seeing well? You do not seem to have issues in Quidditch," the old man asked, looking over his half-moon spectacles.

"Well, things are a bit fuzzy, besides, I want to get out of the house."

"I think it would be best if you simply have Poppy take a look when you get back to Hogwarts," Albus stated with finality and turned to go to the kitchen.

"If that's what you think is best, Headmaster," Harry all but glared at the retreating old man. Yup, he was a prisoner, much like Sirius.

As they rejoined everyone, Harry noticed that Dumbledore didn't mention the will, which he knew through the goblins, was being read next week. This just confirmed in his mind that old man wouldn't tell him anything he didn't feel Harry was ready for.

Dinner, like breakfast, was a noisy affair. There were more people there, as there was a meeting of the Order after. Harry went up to his room after dinner, because he didn't want to run into Snape. He got one of the Light books on warding out and started reading.

Ron knocked and came in. "What are you reading for, Harry? It's summer, don't you want to play some chess or something? You're not turning into another Hermione are you?" he asked, his brown eyes narrowing with a look of confusion and accusation. Harry didn't normally study; he usually spent his time messing around with Ron.

"Nah, not that bad, but I didn't have much to do over the summer and I wanted to read some of the books I found last time I was in Diagon Alley." This was mostly true. After all Gringotts was in Diagon Alley.

"Well alright then, but if you change your mind you know where I'll be," Ron said as he left the room.

Harry returned to his book. When it got to be 10 p.m. and he was sure everyone was at least in their room. He set his timer and started reading the Dark books. He did his exercises, cared for his needs and when the timer was done he removed it and practiced his _Occlumency_ and went to bed.

The next morning he wrote to the solicitor thanking him for going to the newspaper and having them print his letter. He also wrote the goblins and warned them that he had offered their services for warding to the public. He did wonder what the Minister was thinking about the article and how soon it would be before he heard anything from him.

**Hphphp**

_I know the Wizengamot is hereditary, but for this fic they are voted in by the people, same with the Minister and his cabinet. I also know that Fudge wasn't in office, but he is better for this story than Rufus. _


	9. Hermione and Another Article

**Chapter 9: Hermione and Another Article**

_There was a lot of restructuring in this one, I hope it flows better. Please, review and let me know. I'm also trying to get rid of the 'minutes/hours' words to just 'minutes', if I miss any let me know. Revised 1/3/16_

**Hphphp **

For the next two weeks Harry would get up early the next morning, before Mrs. Weasley, and put the Dark books he had read in the library. He only hoped Bill wouldn't notice the new books or that if he did he'd keep it confidential. He'd then go back to his room, set the timer. He practiced his magic, took care of himself, and did his exercises.

When the timer was done he'd talk to the elves on the progress of the house and the curse breakers. Then he spent time with Ron and Ginny. The twins spent most days in their shop. Bill and Mr. Weasley went to work. Remus, Tonks and Fleur were busy with their jobs or assignments from the Order.

Then after everyone went to bed he'd set the timer for sixty minutes and read some the Dark books, exercise and did his _Occlumency_. When the timer was done he would go to bed. Then he'd do it all over again in the morning.

He was almost through with the Dark books in the trunk since most of them had been sent to the vault with curses on them, so there weren't that many. Maybe he'd get Dobby to get the books that had the curses removed for him so he could study them as well. He really needed to find out what he could about the soul anchors, but it was hard as he didn't know what they were called.

All the empty trunks he had had Winky give to the Junk Shop ages ago, so all he had now was the three compartment trunk. If anyone asked he'd tell them Kreacher found it in the attic.

Madam Pomfrey had come by a week ago and stated that his eyes were fine, though she did chastise him for not coming to her sooner. He told her he didn't know that she worked on eyes. She did order him some contacts, now he had two sets, which might come in handy. There weren't equivalents in the magical world, but they were working on them.

Harry avoided the Order members, they wouldn't tell him anything anyway so it was just easier to avoid them. Though he did spend some time with Remus, they talked about Sirius and shared the memories. Remus started to look better after having someone to talk to and it helped Harry too.

On July 30th Hermione arrived at Grimmauld Place just in time for Harry's birthday. Harry had sent one of the Herbology books he found in the trunks to Neville for his birthday. The next day there was a party for Harry which most of the Order was invited. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were also present. He was glad Snape wasn't.

Harry received a lot of books, some candy, a box full of jokes from the twins and a few articles of clothing. Of course, the cake was made by Mrs. Weasley and enjoyed by all.

The next day the OWL results came in. Harry got an EE in Potions, Charms, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, an O in DADA and Transfiguration. He failed Divination, History of Magic and got and A in Astronomy. He figured these would be the results as History of Magic and Astronomy were interrupted and he didn't finish the test. He didn't get a high enough grade to get into NEWT's Potions. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be an Auror anymore anyway.

The morning after his birthday Harry decided that it was time to start practicing wordless and wandless magic that was supposed to be taught to sixth years. So he set the timer in his room to sixty minutes and got started. It wasn't easy. He could barely float a feather for the first two hours, but he kept at it and soon had the feather floating around the room. It took a lot of effort on his part.

He had read in one of the Grey books that this was because his was used to his wand, and without that focus he had to retrain his magic to work to his will. He had read that most wizards couldn't do wandless magic and that is why children were taught with a wand first. Harry didn't understand this backwards thinking, but thought it might have something to do with the Ministry wanting the pure-bloods seem superior.

When the timer was winding down he _banished_ the feather. He'd have to be more careful now that Hermione was here. There wasn't much that got past her. She might notice that she couldn't find him for an hour at a time and he didn't want to have to lie any more than he already was. Right now he was getting by with half-truths and misdirections. But, Hermione was smart and would be able to sense that he wasn't telling her the whole truth.

Harry wanted to know why these timers weren't popular and decided to write the company listed in the booklet that had come with the timer.

**Dear Sirs**

**I found this wonderful timer in an old family school trunk and was wondering why I hadn't heard of it before. I've found this product to be most helpful in finishing my summer homework —just as advertised. I'd like to know if they're still on the market so that I may tell my mates about them. Please send answer with this owl.**

**Thanks for your time.**

**HJPB**

There that sounded like a curious schoolboy. He tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and after giving her an owl treat, sent her on her way. He was glad to finally give her something to do. She was still giving him the cold shoulder about using Dobby for his letters. Most of the fan letters had slimmed down and came with their own owl.

He went downstairs to see if the other teens wanted to go through all the stuff he found in the trunks. It was all sitting on his bed at the moment, so they would know about all the books in the compartmentalized trunk. He went to the sitting room. "Hey guys, remember all that stuff I found in the second hand store. I told you guys about it, well Ron and Hermione. Anyway, I have it all set out to go through; you're welcome to come to, Ginny." He smiled at the female redhead and got a confused look in return.

"That is a great idea, Harry. I had forgotten all about that. Thanks for the bag, by the way, my books were getting pretty heavy and it is such a pain going back to the dorm after lunch to switch out books," Hermione said, rising up to stand by Harry.

"Sure, mate we can do that," Ron said also getting up. He then looked a Ginny.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ginny asked as she joined them. They started heading back up to Harry's room.

"Well, while I was at the Dursleys I found this second hand store with all this wizarding stuff in it, even some old wands. Not sure why they kept those though, to them they would be nothing but sticks. Oh well, their loss our gain. So I bought it all and figured maybe you guys would find something you like in it," Harry replied as he opened his door.

They saw all the stuff on the bed and started going through it. They really didn't know what most of it was for, but if it looked interesting they took it and they could ask Mr. or Mrs. Weasley about it.

Everyone seemed to get a pretty good share and Harry was happy to know that he could give something to his friends. None of the wands worked for them. He set them aside to give to Winky, telling his friends he was going to put them in his vault. Maybe now they'd have something to do in this boring house. Bill had finished taking the curses off the books, so he opened the library to be used, but you couldn't remove any of the books. Only Hermione, Bill and Remus used it. Well the twins tried to sneak stuff out, but after the third time they couldn't, they stopped. Mrs. Weasley had caught them trying to copy stuff and told them in no uncertain terms they were not to do it again. After that Harry made sure the library was locked at night.

The next two days were uneventful, except the time the twins came and relieved him of everything the younger kids hadn't, even the wands, although they couldn't use them. Harry let them have them.

He had finished all the Dark books in his trunk and now the only books left to read were the old school books. There were books on Arithmancy and Runes from year 3-5. There were also books on classes no longer taught in Hogwarts. Like _Government and Law_, _Household Spells and Structure_, and _Spell Crafting_ years 3-5. He figured that the people who owned the trunks never studied pass the OWL's. To Harry these were a goldmine, they could teach him things he'd need to know about the wizarding world that no one else seemed fit to tell him.

He took the chance of being found out and set the timer to eighty minutes at night. He studied these books like he never studied at Hogwarts. He knew he wouldn't be able to get into the Arithmancy and Runes classes as the OWL's had already been given. Maybe he could find a way to take the OWL's as independent study when he took his NEWT's.

He received a letter back from the makers of the timer. In it they stated that too many parents were complaining that they didn't know what their children when it was set and since there seemed to be more children using it for mischief than homework—they pulled them off the market. Harry felt that this was a good reason. He could just imagine what the twins would get up to if they could find the time, pun intended.

"Harry?" Hermione said one afternoon while they were trying to find a game they hadn't played yet. "How did the house get so clean? I noticed that Mrs. Weasley is not making us clean the house. All the carpets and the drapes look new, the walls have been stripped and the floors are all polished. The rooms look cleaner and brighter. I see that Mrs. Blacks portrait was off the wall. I asked about this earlier and was told to ask you, I just never found the time until now."

"I had Kreacher clean the house, Hermione. As punishment for lying to me and getting Sirius killed, I made him take the portrait down and put it in the attic —which he is banned from," Harry answered, bracing himself for the argument that would follow.

"What? You _own_ Kreacher? Harry don't you know that is slavery? Why haven't you set him free? How could you do this? You know how I feel about this, I thought you understood!" Hermione yelled, exploding out of her seat, throwing her arms in the air and stomping around the room.

"Hermione!" he shouted to be heard. "Listen, house elves cannot survive without a wizard to bond with."

"Explain," she said, her eyes narrowed as she glared at her friend, but she never stopped pacing. Slavery to her was unacceptable, full stop. There was never a good reason in her opinion.

"They'll get weak and die. Dobby told me all about it before he bonded with his current family. As for Kreacher," he shrugged, grabbing her as she walked by, "he came with the house. I don't treat him like a slave; I treat him more like a servant. I had to punish him for lying to me. I can't fire him and I can't kill him. I can't free him 'cause he knows too many secrets about the Order. And I couldn't let him think that it was okay to lie to me. He has to know that I'm the one in charge and that he can no longer follow the orders of that portrait. And you have to admit without that crazy old bat giving him orders he is doing much better. I also had all the dark objects cleared out of the house and put in my vault at Gringotts. I think that they were having a negative effect on Kreacher. Dumbledore wants him here were he can't get into any more trouble," he explained with as much information as he could squeeze in. He knew Hermione needed all the facts as quickly as possible or she would just start ranting again.

"Told you she would go spare," Ron muttered from the sidelines. "Mental, that one," he said, and then glanced up hoping she hadn't heard him.

Harry ignored him, seeing that he was getting through to Hermione he continued. "Hermione," he said, looking into her eyes making sure he had her complete attention, "the house elves at Hogwarts won't clean the Gryffindor tower anymore 'cause they think you're trying to kill them. Dobby and Winky were the only ones that would set foot in the tower. And now that they're gone, you're going to have to talk to the Hogwarts elves and apologize to them so we can have our tower cleaned,"

At these words he noticed that Hermione was shocked and she had started to cry.

"I understand," he said, giving his crying friend a hug, "that you were only doing what you thought was right. But for once you didn't do the research and blindly went ahead. I know this is not something you usually do. If you just talk to the elves at Hogwarts and explain the reasoning behind all the hats, I'm sure they'll understand."

"I didn't mean to," she sniffed wetly on Harry's shirt. "I just wanted to help. Do you really think they will understand?" Hermione questioned raising her head a hopeful look in her eyes.

Ron and Ginny looked on, not sure how to help or what to say. The Weasleys don't have house elves and hadn't for decades.

"House elves are smart and loyal. If you tell them the truth they'll understand," the dark-haired teen answered, wiping the tears off her face with a gentle swipe of his thumbs. "It's going to be okay, Hermione. They'll listen to you and if you need me to come with you, I can do that."

"Thanks, Harry, you're a great friend," Hermione said as she dried her tears and with that they all sat down and played games for the rest of the day.

For the next couple of weeks every morning Harry set the timer for sixty minutes and every night set it for eighty minutes. He practiced his magic and was getting very good at wandless and wordless. He was currently on his third year spells and it was coming far easier for him. He was doing really well with the other school books and was now on fourth years in all of them. It was too bad he had no one to test him on his knowledge and he had to rely on his own assessment on how well he was doing. He'd need to do more research on the laws as the books he was reading were a little out-of-date. He figured that once he was back at school he'd be completely through with all his school books.

He answered the post, which was coming on a daily basis now. Though not as many as the first few days after the article came out and mostly showed support. He still sent his letters to Gringotts and his lawyer through Dobby. The goblins kept him up to date on what the curse breakers were doing and his investments.

By having Dobby deliver the letter he wasn't letting anyone know just what he was up to. Hedwig was consigned to the fan mail, when other owls left without waiting for a reply, which made her very happy.

On August 25th the will was read to the rest of the benefactors, though no one mentioned it to Harry. He knew through messages from the goblins that Dumbledore stated that he'd stand in for Harry and let him know about his inheritance. Harry had yet to hear from him. It made Harry feel a little sad to know he was right. He did wonder why Snape and Hermione had not asked for their books though.

A week before term started there was an article in the Daily Prophet.

Harry went down to breakfast that morning to a cauldron of mass chaos. "What happened now? Why is everyone so excited?" he asked Hermione, who was reading the paper with concentrated attention.

Hermione looked up with a bit of wonder in her eye and just handed the paper to Harry. The front page Headline read:

_**Dolores Umbridge fired from Ministry and charged with Child Abuse and Endangerment.**_

The article that followed mentioned that because of the overwhelming input of upset parents that Umbridge was arrested and fired for the abuse of Hogwarts students. The article also praised Harry for speaking out and encouraging others to do the same. It poked at Dumbledore for not catching on to what was happening in his school. It was a well written article and Harry felt he needed to reply.

He noted that it stated that it was Madame Bones that arrested Umbridge and Minister Fudge had nothing to do with it. Harry wondered how that man had stayed in office so long. He remembered that there had been a vote of no-confidence this summer but the man had slid out from under it, barely. Harry figured that if there was any future bad press about Fudge, he'd be gone.

"Harry, do you know what this means? You can get anyone fired from the Ministry. Listen," Hermione said firmly, worrying her lip in distress, "they are calling you the Chosen One and Minister Fudge will be thinking you're after his job next. You have to be careful, Harry. Remember what he did last year?"

"I'm not after that man's job," he said as he used his finger to unlatch her lip from her teeth by pressing down on her chin. He gave a confident smile. "I just want him to do his job and clean up the Ministry. If he won't listen to me then maybe he will listen to the public. Fudge has always worried about the public image. And after that close call with the vote of no confidence he'll be careful to what the public thinks. Besides now that Umbridge is gone and Lucius Malfoy is in prison, maybe he'll listen to Dumbledore or me. We won't know until he contacts us," Harry replied with a shrug, sitting down and gathering food to his plate.

"But Harry, you have to be careful. You're only a schoolboy; he is not going to listen to you. He is going to try something to get you put on trial again," Hermione persisted.

"Hermione, don't worry I'll be careful. Have you seen me do magic?" he asked pointedly. "I know the laws now. I'm just telling the truth as I see it. It's up to Fudge to see that his job is done right," Harry said knowing that he couldn't be tried for underage magic; however his friends didn't know that. Maybe Fudge did, but he didn't think so. Fudge, after all, was an idiot. "Besides, someone has to tell the truth and if it has to be me then I'm okay with that. If I play this right the public won't turn on me if the Ministry decides to print lies in the paper again. I'm prepared to tell anyone the truth. If they listen great, if they don't well it's not like I've not been there before," the dark-haired teen said glancing meaningfully down at his left hand where the words 'I must not tell lies' was carved in the back. This was the whole reason Harry wanted Umbridge gone.

"I know, Harry, that is why I'm trying to get you to see reason. I don't want to see you suffer again." She took his hand and rubbed the words with her thumb, it felt nice to have a friend that cared and Harry knew that that was all he and Hermione would ever be, he was okay with that.

"Don't worry if something like that happens again I won't keep quiet like I did last time. I won't let anyone else suffer either. But, Hermione, you have to understand someone has to stand up to the Ministry and I have enough fame that most people will listen to me." And now that it was proven that Voldemort was back and he wasn't lying the public will listen to him. He'd use this to help the wizarding world to stand up for itself.

"Okay Harry," she said, releasing his hand and nodded, "I'll back off, for now. But I reserve the right to say 'I told you so,' later when this blows up in your face."

After that drama was over the friends sat about playing games and going over homework assignments. Ron hurrying to get his done, he always waited till the last minute. Harry at least almost always had an excuse if his wasn't done, like his books being locked away.

After few hours of this, Harry excused himself pleading a headache. After reassuring his friends that is wasn't his scar just a regular headache, he went to his room. When he got there he got out some parchment and a quill and started writing to the paper.

_**To the Wizards of Britain;**_

_**I want to thank everyone who wrote and showed their support from my last letter. For those that didn't show their support, I'd like to point out that all that was printed about me last year was proven to be lies. Voldemort is back and I did nothing to seek attention. I do believe that Minister Fudge can and will now do what the public asks. If it's the public's opinion that will help our good Minister then please let him know what you think.**_

_**I'd also like to thank the Ministry for their quick actions in arresting Ms. Umbridge. I'd love to support the Ministry and will do so when they get the Death Eaters that work for the Ministry out. **_

_**Yes, you read that correctly there are Death Eaters in the Ministry. I know I've seen them. They were there when Voldemort came back and they were there that night he was seen at the Ministry. I know that the ones that were at the Ministry have been arrested. I don't know if they have been questioned. I do know that others that were there the night that Voldemort came back are still loose at the Ministry.**_

_**It would be as simple as checking everyone's arm and questioning those that have the Dark Mark under Veritaserum. They really only need to ask one question, that question would be, "Do you support Voldemort?" it's a yes or no question. If they do, put them on trial and then throw them in Azkaban. If they don't then let them go on their merry way. It's not hard and it won't take that much time. **_

_**If this is not feasible then try taking oaths from all Ministry workers that they're there for the good of the wizarding Britain and that they're not in support of Voldemort or any Dark Lord. There has to be a way for this to be done.**_

_**Though Azkaban might not be a good idea, I don't think that the Ministry has complete control over the Dementors and that Voldemort might just try to get his Death Eaters out of there. Maybe there should be more human guards as well. I don't know that's not my job. I'm just a kid making suggestions.**_

_**If two Dementors could be sent after me by an Undersecretary then just about anyone at the Ministry can order them around. And that doesn't sit right in my mind as I know for a fact there are Death Eaters in the Ministry. I'm sure that Voldemort would love to have the Dementors on his side.**_

_**I'd ask that magicals brush up on their **_Patronus__Charm_**. Even if you can only form a mist, that would help drive away the Dementors. If you don't know the **_Patronus Charm_** then I ask that you try and learn it. I learned it in my third year, if I can do it then so can you. Remember any help you can give, even if it's passive, would be a great help to those who are fighting the good fight.**_

_**Once again I'd like to stress that you should safe-guard your loved ones and thanks for listening to me.**_

_**Harry Potter.**_

He set the letter aside to once again be sent to his solicitor with a note thanking him for his good work and asking him to wait until Harry was on the Hogwarts Express to send the letter to the Prophet. He'd send it in the morning.

Mrs. Weasley went to Diagon Alley the next day to get their school supplies. Harry had given her some money and a list of things he didn't have. When she returned, Mrs. Weasley gave him his change without comment. They packed their books away for the coming year.

Hermione and Harry read ahead in their classes, but only at night when the others were in bed so Ron wouldn't tease them. Harry read further ahead since he did so under the timer. He wanted to do good this year; he was tired of hiding the fact that he really did like to learn. Ron and Hermione would have to get use to that.


	10. The Train

**Chapter 10: The Train**

_This chapter underwent a major reconstruction, paragraphs moved and deleted, making the chapter shorter, sorry. I added a lot as well. Revised 1/3/16_

_The current results of my poll will be posted at the bottom, the fact that no one likes Canon Harry or Light Harry would explain why this story isn't getting much notice. _

_I do want to point out that there are nine stories I've written that are nothing like this one. _

**Hphphp**

A few days before the start of term, Professor McGonagall came to Grimmauld Place to talk to Harry about his Quidditch ban and give him back his broom. He was glad to have it back as it was a gift from Sirius. "I would have come sooner, Harry, but I am very busy this time of year," she stated as she sat primly in the refurbished sitting room.

"I understand, Professor. What can I do for you? Did you want some tea?" he asked as he took the chair across from her, placing the broom next to him.

"No, thank you. I haven't much time. I wanted to give you your broom and to hand you this," she said, handing him the captain's badge.

"Professor, I do appreciate that you want me to have this, but I didn't play last year and I think Katie Bell would make a better captain," Harry said with a bit of disappointment, handing it back to her. _Not to mention cuter._ He, of course, kept that comment to himself.

"Miss Bell feels that she would have too much to do this being her NEWT year. I expect I can give it to Mr. Weasley," McGonagall sighed in regret, taking the badge back.

"Ron would be a great captain," Harry enthused excitedly. He really felt Ron would do well. "He is really good at chess and if he can apply that to Quidditch he'd be great. There isn't anyone I know that knows more about the game than him."

"I hope so for your sake Mr. Potter, as I will hold you responsible. I quite like have the cup in my office and would like to keep it there," McGonagall sighed. "I will ask Mr. Weasley if he thinks he believes he is ready to be captain."

"Sorry I had to turn that down Professor, I just want to concentrate on my studies this year and practice alone will be enough," Harry replied, giving her his best sincere look. "Professor, if a person does independent studies can they take the OWL exams?" he questioned. "Because, I came across some old text books on Runes and Arithmancy and would like to take the exams if I can finish them by this summer."

"I am glad you are taking your studies seriously, Mr. Potter. And yes if you think you can pass them, the OWL exams can be taken at the Ministry during the summer. They have a schedule you can owl for," she stated, she always knew this boy was holding back. With his two friends on the opposite end of the spectrum, it was not wonder. "I also wanted to let you know that you have the scores to get in to Potions this year. The level was lowered because not enough people made O's on their OWL's. So I would recommend that you get your book and take the class this coming term."

"Thanks, that's good to know. I did my summer homework for that class already in hopes that I'd be able to take it. I'll see about getting the book. I'm not sure how," he said as he ran his hand through his ever messy hair in frustration. "Mrs. Weasley has already done the shopping, but I have some old school books that I found in Diagon Alley last time I was there. I'll see if there is a current potion textbook among them." Even though he knew there wasn't. "Thank you again for thinking of me for the captain position, once again I'm sorry to have to turn you down," Harry said showing that he truly was sorry. Unfortunately, he was also being truthful in that he wanted to concentrate on his studies more. Even if he didn't want to be an Auror he still needed good grades to get a good job —all his money notwithstanding.

"It is quite alright, Mr. Potter. I am sure Mr. Weasley will do just fine. Do the best you can for the textbook. If you cannot get one before school, I am sure there are some left in the potions classroom or the library. I must go, I have much to do. I will see you on September 1st," McGonagall said and then gathered up the badge and left the room.

"Good-bye to you too," Harry groused as he watched her leave. _Oh, well_, he thought, _she must have really needed to go. _He shrugged and went to go and read some.

Needless to say Ron was thrilled to be captain, if the jumping through the house was any indication. Harry was glad for his best mate. That and it would give the dark-haired teen more chances to slip away and find some time to train and study.

The rest of the week was quiet and soon they would be on their way back to Hogwarts. Harry wondered what he'd do about Dumbledore. He knew that he really didn't have to worry, but he also knew that the old man wouldn't like that Harry wasn't quite as dependent on him as he had been in the past. Well, the Headmaster would just have to work with him if they wanted to win this war what with Harry being emancipated and in control of his life.

There hadn't been any mention of the soul anchors in all the books in his trunk. He realized he was going to have to go back to the Chamber of Secrets and see if there was a library there, surely something so Dark wouldn't be in the school library. Voldemort had to learn about them from somewhere and it wouldn't hurt to check there. If not there then in the Room of Requirements, maybe it could conjure up books on them. Though, without knowing what they were called he wasn't sure he could ask correctly.

He was concerned if he should tell his friends his secrets, but then again they didn't know _Occlumency_ so that might not be such a good idea. He really didn't like keeping all this from them, but then again, they kept things from him in his past —to protect him of course. He was just returning the favor.

He really needed to know more about being a Lord as well. There weren't any books on that and since these books came from a pure-blood family that was quite surprising. Maybe, they figured they would be taught by the parents (He had forgotten all about the one Sirius left him).

The night before they left, while everyone else was packing Harry had a talk with the elves. He called them into his room.

"Okay, guys, now that I'll be heading back to Hogwarts, I need for you, Dobby, to listen for me so that you can continue to take messages to Gringotts and my solicitor and I need you to keep me up to date on how the curse breakers are doing in the vault. Come and find me about once a week and let me know." He waited for the excitable house elf to nod and when he did Harry turned to the other two.

"Winky and Kreacher, I need you to keep this place clean. It looks great now, and I'd like to keep it that way. Kreacher, if someone calls you to do something just do it, as long as it doesn't go against the house. If Professor Snape comes to get his books let him have them. Don't let him take any more than the ten books he is allowed. If he puts up a fight then simply don't let him take any and pop away. Then he will have to come to me to get them." Again, he waited for recognition.

"Remember, all of you, keep an eye on Fletcher, if he tries to steal from the house bar him again." Although, he didn't think that would happen with the vow Dumbledore got from him. "Actually, don't let anyone take anything from the house. This is not their house. Dobby, once the curse breakers or Bill breaks the curses on the Dark books, I'd like you to put them in a trunk and bring them to me," he softly ordered.

He really needed to write a note to Spearhead to see what the damage to Godric's Hollow was so he could rebuild, which would give the elves something to do.

"Dobby will do what the Great Harry Potter wants. Dobby is a good house elf," Dobby nodded enthusiastically almost sending his many hats flying.

"Winky will keep the house clean, Harry Potter, sir. Winky will not be seen and Winky will keep her eye on the thiefy person, sir. No one will steal from Master while Winky is around," Winky stated, nodding just as fast as Dobby, only her eyes were narrowed in determination.

"Kreacher will do as Master says. Kreacher will keep the house of Black in good repair. Kreacher is liking how the house looks now and is thinking maybe Master will be better for the house of Black than Blood-traitor Master. Kreacher is feeling more like himself since Master is cleaning out all the Dark objects. Kreacher will keep all that belongs to Master safe in the house. Kreacher will come and tell Master if someone is trying to steal from Master. Kreacher is confused, but will do as Master has asked. Kreacher will talk to no one except Master and the Masters other elves," Kreacher answered and Harry noticed that he wasn't glaring at Harry like he had in the past. Maybe soon, he would be able to trust Kreacher, but he felt that would be a long time from now.

The next morning was the typical Weasley nightmare. Even though Ron and Ginny were the only ones still in Hogwarts, they were still late in leaving Grimmauld Place. Ron had to go back for his Captain's badge. Ginny had to go back for a package she wouldn't tell anyone the contents of. Harry and Hermione, of course, were packed and ready to go the night before and waited for everyone else. It was a good thing the house was close to Kings Cross Station.

Going through the barrier was done without fuss, though they were cutting it close. Soon the four friends were on the train and chatting away. Ginny got up and left to visit some of her year mates, or to maybe find Dean. Neville and Luna soon joined the Golden Trio.

"Hey, guys. Nice look Harry. Did you lose your glasses? I see you finally got new clothes," Neville greeted them. He was a lot more confident now that he had such great friends that relied on him in a time of need last year. That fight in the Department of Mysteries was a real eye-opener and made him shed his childish ways. He even stood up to his Gran a few times this summer and it felt great.

"Nay, I got the clothes second hand, from the same store I got those seeds. Madam Pomfrey got me contacts this summer, while I was in hiding," he said with a bitter bite on the last part. He hated being useless. He had always had an inkling of how Sirius felt, but at least when he was at Privet Dr. he could leave the house, not so at Grimmauld Place. It was no wonder his godfather said he was going mad in his letter.

"Well, it's a good look. Thanks for the seeds and the book. I'm not quite sure what the seeds are growing, but by next summer they should have fully grown and I'll know what they are. I have a house elf watching them while I'm in school."

After chatting and catching up for a few minutes Hermione and Ron left for the Prefect meeting.

"How have you been, Luna? Did you and your dad catch anything while you were camping?" Harry asked his blonde friend.

"Unfortunately, no. Oh, I see the nargles have finally left you alone. Did you get some butter beer corks?" his spacey friend asked with a tilt of her head, making her radish earrings sway.

Harry and Neville shared a glance, they were sure there was a code behind her words. They just hadn't figured it out, yet. Hermione said they were crazy and that Luna was just faking. They kept trying to point out that she was a Ravenclaw, but to no avail.

"No, I'm not sure why they left," he replied, running a hand through his messy hair. "I have a question though; if the nargles are invisible, how can you see them?"

"Oh, they leave a trail in the air, like ripples in a pool. They also leave a greasy residue in their wake. Your hair is much cleaner than it used to be. Professor Snape has a bad infestation. I tried to warn him, but sadly, he just took points and gave me detention," she answered with a shrug, used to being blown off. "I do have glasses that will let you see them, but they went missing last year," Luna sighed, those were expensive glasses.

The two boys giggled at the thought that Snape was infested, though they shared a determined look about the missing glasses. They were still chuckling when the others came back and had to explain to Hermione and Ron why. Ron almost rolled on the floor with that, but Hermione just huffed and sat.

Harry had hoped that this year Malfoy wouldn't make a show of it. He was disappointed, of course.

"Ah, look, it's Potty and his motley crew," Draco said as he leaned in the doorway, legs crossed at the ankle. His two bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, standing threateningly behind him, meaty arms folded over their rather large chest, glares firmly in place. Looking like so much like trained bodyguards it made Harry wonder if they actually were paid. He really couldn't see anyone wanting to hang out with Malfoy on purpose.

_Maybe I can offer them more money. Wouldn't that make Malfoy mad, _that was a thought to ponder. "Really, Malfoy, what are you, ten? You can't think of something better than 'Potty'. I left off calling people childish nicknames ages ago. I don't ever remember once calling you anything except Malfoy. I'd have hoped you had grown up this summer," Harry said in a very bored tone, flicking his eyes over the Slytherin's face, but not rising from his seat. He was getting tired of all these childish games that Malfoy engaged in. He was hoping to stop them or maybe call a cease-fire, but given who Malfoy's father was, that would probably not be happening. He had more important things to worry about then Draco Bloody Malfoy.

Hermione was holding Ron's arm, she had already silenced him, when she saw Harry taking care of it. Ron was trying to shake her off, but she held tight. The rest of the group, sat and watched with wonder at Harry's lack of violence.

"What would you know about growing up, Potter?" the blond menace scoffed, "Last I heard you were still living with Muggles. What could you possible learn from them?"

"What does that have to do with anything? Muggles have to grow up too. Or did you think all the many, many babies just came to be all on their own?" Harry answered his emerald eye widened in mild disbelief. _Really, did the bigotry go that far? _he wondered. "Or maybe, you just aren't that far in you adolescence to know that."

"Watch yourself, Potter," Draco snapped, standing from his relaxed position and shooting hateful glares at his enemy. "I know what you did to my father and you'll pay for that." And with that he and his company turned heel and stormed off, slamming the door behind them.

"Why did you let him speak to you like that, mate? I mean you gave back as good as you got, but why not punch him in the nose or hex him or something?" Ron asked. He seemed confused that Harry didn't seem to want to fight, like he usually did.

"Honestly, Ronald, Harry is right. What are you, ten? Harry acted like a grown-up something you would do well to imitate," Hermione said with a huff.

"Oi, I'm a grown-up. You thought me grown-up enough to snog me. Or do you go around snogging little boys?" Ron said heatedly, making Hermione blush and duck her head. She had hoped they could keep that a secret a little while longer.

Well that explains a lot, like why Harry was never caught with the timer and why it took so long for Hermione to ask about how clean the house. Well it really wasn't a great surprise that they got together, just the timing of it. _And one more secret they've kept from me. At least I don't feel _as_ bad now keeping my secrets, _the bitter thought ran through his head.

"Honestly, Ronald, of course I think you are grown enough to date. I just think you need to grow up when it comes to these petty hates you have on all things Slytherin. Or is it just Malfoy that reduces you to childlike tendencies?" Hermione retorted, raising her head to defend herself, now that the cat was truly out of the bag. She cast a quick glance at the people in the compartment and didn't see any bitterness or jealousy. She gave a small sigh of relief. Now all they had to do is get Harry to come out of his shell and date, so he wouldn't feel left out.

Harry couldn't agree more about all Slytherins not being evil. He knew that not all Slytherins were in Voldemort camp. After all, his grandmother, Dorea Potter née Black, married his dad's dad. That pretty much put her on the side of good. And Sirius's cousin, Andromeda Tonks née Black was kicked out of the family for marrying a muggle-born. And Ron's own grandmother, Cedrella Weasley née Black, was kicked out for marrying Ron's grandpa. They were all in Slytherin and Sirius confirmed they didn't believe in blood purity. Besides, Merlin was Slytherin; it was on his Chocolate Frog Card.

Harry also knew that not all Death Eaters were from Slytherin. Look at Wormtail and Quirrell they weren't from that House. Wormtail was from Gryffindor and Quirrell was from Ravenclaw. He also knew that not all Death Eater were pure-blood. Look at Quirrell and Snape both were half-bloods, not to mention Voldemort himself. But, trying to tell that to Ron was like beating a brick wall with your head.

"I'll grow up when Malfoy does. Until then, he can just bugger off," Ron replied heatedly, bringing Harry's attention back to the argument. "And he needs to leave off Harry. If Harry won't stick up for himself, then maybe, he needs someone to do it for him."

"Hey leave me out of this," Harry said, glaring at his best friend. "I said my piece to Malfoy. I'm just tired of the schoolyard arguments. I think it's time we stopped that. We're in the middle of a war and unless Malfoy is proven to be my enemy, then I'm just going to ignore him. I don't think that he is a Death Eater, yet, and until I see the Dark Mark on his arm, he is just a petty annoyance," he finished, waving his hand to show just how little he thought of Malfoy.

"See Ronald that is what I'm talking about. Harry, that was a very mature thing to say," Hermione said, giving a firm nod in Harry's direction.

"Oi, I'm mature," Ron replied.

Harry, Neville and Luna started chatting among themselves while those two argued. They chatted about their summer and what they had done for homework. Soon Ron and Hermione joined in, having finished their fight.

Suddenly a thought flashed through Harry's mind, "Hey Neville, how do you get to the station? I mean do you go through the muggle side?" It didn't make sense that all the students went through the barrier. It would go against the Statute of Secrecy, all those owls and cats had to be noticed. And when he first went to the train there were no other wizards, other than the Weasleys, that he could see. And he was there hours before the train left.

Neville shook his head, "No, we go through the Floo. Most wizarding families do, the muggle side is for muggle-born and muggle-raised."

"Oh, okay, I was just wondering." He turned to his best mate, "Hey, Ron, how come you guys go through the muggle side?" Harry had wondered since the beginning of summer if his meeting the Weasleys might have been set up. He wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to make sure Harry met a Light family.

"Don' know, we use to go through the Floo, but when I started we started going the other way. Not sure why though," Ron answered with a shrug; it had been weird to him at the time. His mum made some excuse they were out of Floo powder or something. "That could be why Mum didn't know where the platform was. Good thing though or we wouldn't a been able to help you that day. We go through the muggle side now 'cause of you and Hermione."

_Well that answers that. I know Dumbledore had something to do with it. It would've been easy to get Mrs. Weasley to help a poor lost boy find his way. And it really doesn't make sense why they didn't use the Floo now. If Dumbledore really wanted to keep me safe why make them go through the Muggle side, where anyone can see us? We have to travel sometimes for hours to get to the train. Why not just have us go through the Floo from Grimmauld Place, this year or last? Sometimes I wonder what that old man is thinking; he seems to want to make things harder for me. Or maybe he is keeping his Order members on their toes by making them keep me safe. Like flying across England to get me to Grimmauld Place the other summer, it would've been safer to Portkey or Apparate. I'm not sure and it's not like I can ask him, _these thoughts just rambled on, while the train churned through the countryside. He didn't doubt Ron's friendship, just how they met. He did however wonder about the old man's sanity.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he joined the conversation that was going on around him. Soon enough it was time to change into their robes.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful and it was time for the Welcoming Feast. There was a new potions teacher, Horace Slughorn, which left Snape for DADA. _This is going to be a nightmare. Maybe I could talk to Snape and put aside our differences until the end of the war._ He knew Snape would never like him, there was too much history, which was okay because he didn't that that greasy bat back, but maybe they could call a truce and work together, since they had the same goal —getting rid of Voldemort.

Heading back to the common room, at the end of the feast, Harry noticed that he was once again the main topic of conversation. Only this time he was The Chosen One and really could they have come up with something lamer? Then again, they came up with The Boy-Who-Lived which was just as lame. It was a good thing his friends didn't treat him any different. And it looked like most of Gryffindor was going to treat him like just another classmate. After how half of them treated him last year —this was a relief.

_Just one year without hassle that's all I ask._ And with that thought he laid down and went to sleep.

**Hphphp**

**Which type of Harry do you prefer? Pick two.**

1 Powerful Harry 43 14%

2 Time traveler Harry 42 14%

3 Grey Harry 40 13%

4 Smart ass Harry 31 10%

5 Godlike Harry 26 9%

6 Rebellious Harry 26 9%

7 Humorous Harry 21 7%

8 Female Harry 17 5%

9 Political Harry 16 5%

10 Dark Harry 11 3%

11 Something not name 8 2%

12 Lazy Harry 6 2%

13 canon Harry 1 0%

14 Light Harry 0 0%

Unique Voters: 145


	11. Calling a Truce

**Chapter 11: Calling a Truce**

_Someone asked when this will start to deviate from canon. And while it will quit canon soon, my goal in this fic is to have Harry independent, but follow canon until he can't anymore. _

_I hemmed and hawed about deleting Dumbledore's scene, since it is the only alternate point of view and decided to cut it out. It basically rehashed the same self-doubt guilt trips many other fics do, so I went with taking it out. _

_There was a lot of rewriting in this chapter. After reading it over I finally figured out what people were saying that it was wooden, so I tried to make it flow better. Revised 1/4/16_

_Once again, thanks for the support, but I still can't answer reviews. Ffn won't let me. _

**Hphphp **

The next morning was Monday, so the professors handed out schedules. Harry and Hermione were both scheduled for Potions and Ron had a free period. The youngest male Weasley opted out of Potions since he wanted to be a Quidditch player and you don't need potions for that. They didn't have DADA till tomorrow right before dinner which gave them more time to adjust to the fact that Snape was teaching it.

Harry had a double free period right before dinner on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and figured that was a good time to test the timer on the Room of Requirements. Since the Room was a great feat in magic, he wasn't sure if the little timer would work there, but it was better than finding an abandoned classroom, because Dumbledore would know. That man seemed to have eyes in all the rooms of the castle, except the dorms, the ROR and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry was pretty sure that the timer would not work on the CoS, since it wasn't technically a room, but a large cavern with many tunnels and pipes leading in.

He was drawn from his plotting when the post came and with it the Prophet. There was much buzzing going on as his new letter was read. People were whispering and pointing at him. Hermione was sending him a look, like he needed to be careful. Glancing up at the Head Table he saw that Dumbledore wasn't happy that he was still writing the Prophet. He'd have to be careful when talking to the Headmaster, because he didn't want to give up the game too soon. He needed to stay in Hogwarts a little while longer to get as much knowledge as he could and maybe find a nice girl to date.

Speaking of girls, the dark-haired teen glanced coyly around at the surrounding tables. He knew a lot of girls that he knew weren't dating and wondered which one would be right for him. He really didn't want to date anyone who was popular; he needed that person he picked to keep it low key so they didn't become a target. After glancing at all the tables and thinking about it a while he kept a few in his mind, only one was from his own House, another might be a little more difficult as she was a Slytherin. None were well know, but all were well liked. All of them, except the Slytherin, he knew from the DA last year or at least from the friends that were in the group.

Harry gave up his musing on the pretty females and wondered how many letters he was going to receive this time and how he was going to be able to sort through it without getting cursed. He knew he could use his ring, but then he would have to explain where he got it. Of course, he could say he got it from the store in Surrey, but then he'd have to explain why he never told his friends before. Plus, he wouldn't have enough time to sort it all by himself and didn't have extra rings for his friends. Maybe, he should have the Hogwarts house elves sort through it. He'd go down to the kitchens during his free period and ask.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he notice Hermione looking at him with raised eyebrow, then she indicated the door and started towards it. He gathered his bag and followed. The two friends headed to Potions.

The dungeons looked the same as always, cold, dark and gloomy, with walls that looked wet, but felt cold and dry. The classroom was a lot warmer, due to the blazing fire in the grate. The workstations were scattered around the room in a half circle, instead of rows. Up at the teacher's desk there were three cauldrons bubbling away.

Since, Harry hadn't found the book needed in the old school books; he went up to the front of the class and inquired, "Professor, I don't have a book. Professor McGonagall didn't let me know I was in this class until it was too late to get one. Do you have an extra one here?" He made sure he kept his tone polite, not knowing this man and not wanting another Snape on his hands.

The rather round professor smiled joviality at him, looking much like St. Nick without the beard. "Harry, my boy, when I was a professor here before, we used to store old books in that cupboard in the back. Help yourself, my dear fellow, help yourself," he said and waved the teen to the back of the room.

Following the professor's directions, he went to the cupboard and saw there were two books there. One was new and the other was old and battered. Remembering the books from his trunk with helpful hints, he picked up the battered one. He took it to his station next to Hermione. When he opened the book he noted there were indeed notes in the margin and paying careful attention to them, he was able to make a perfect potion, winning the Felix Felicis potion that the professor had offered as prize at the beginning of class.

"Honestly, Harry, how could you cheat like that? You need to follow directions from the book and not some schoolboy's notes," Hermione hissed as soon as class let out and they were in the hall. She was angry that Harry's potion was better than hers and she had followed the instructions in the textbook to the letter. He wasn't supposed to outshine her; he was supposed to come to her for help. That has been their friendship since first year.

"Hermione," Harry snapped, knowing exactly what was wrong with his friend and not going to put up with it, "I didn't cheat. The notes in the margins made sense and helped me understand what needed to be done. How is that cheating? Besides, all you have to do is ask and I'll be more than happy to share this book with you, or anyone for that matter. It's not like I'm selfish or something. I thought you knew me better than that," he said a disappointed and betrayed look on his face. He wondered when it was that Hermione thought so low of him as to accuse him of cheating. He figured that she knew him better than that.

"They weren't your notes," Hermione insisted, getting in his face. "You are following someone else's notes and that is as good as cheating." She quickly backed off, seeing his determined face and tried another tactic. "Harry, you can't trust that book, it could be Dark and you have no idea who wrote in it. You should give that book back to Professor Slughorn and owl order one instead," she insisted with a firm nod that she was correct in her assumptions.

"Hermione, having someone else's notes is not cheating. I use your notes all the time. If that's cheating then why do you let me? Besides, if I found a book that used to be my mother's and her notes were in it would you say the same? That is not cheating its studying —like having a tutor in written form. I don't understand what the problem is. I'll do some research in the library, which will mean I'll still be doing my own studying. _And_ I'll ask either Snape or Slughorn what they think of it," Harry answered a frown curving his lips, getting frustrated that she wouldn't drop it.

"Well, if you are going to talk to the Professors and if they say it is okay, then I won't say anymore," Hermione conceded not being able to rebut that, plus it eased her mind that a professor would have the final word. "But, you had better ask them before your next class or I'm going to tell them that you are cheating," she threatened smugly, firm in her belief that he would be made to hand the book back.

"Fine," Harry said, though he was surprised she backed off so quickly. Maybe this is what he could use to break the ice with Snape. If he let him know that he really wanted to do well in Potions then maybe they could reach an accord. "Hermione, do you want to go to the kitchen after dinner and talk to the elves? I think this needs to be done as soon as possible," he asked, diverting her attention to something else.

"Yes, I think you're right and it should be done quickly," the bushy-haired girl said, letting the subject go for now. "Will you come with me? The elves seem to like you," she asked, her voice taking on an unsure quality.

"Of course I will, I said I would, didn't I?" the male of the duo answered. Just because he was miffed at her didn't make him less of a friend.

Later that day, when they were both free, they went to the kitchen to talk to the elves. Harry asked if they would screen his post and they were overjoyed to help. Hermione did her best to let them know that she didn't want to kill them and that she thought she was helping. It took a while and Harry had to add words here and there, but they finally conceded that they would clean the tower, if no more knitted clothes showed up. The girl submitted and promised not to try and free them anymore.

The two made their way to the Great Hall and joined up with Ron. The Golden Trio then spent the rest of the evening talking about classes and what they were expecting from Snape. After dinner they went to the library and did what little homework they had and then retired for the evening.

The next morning the post came and there was quite a lot. Instead of coming by owl, it just appeared in a big pile by Harry's plate. The dark-haired teen drafted his friends into helping and sorted them in two piles this time. The ones that showed support and the ones that didn't.

He penned two form letters, similar to the ones he did for the last article and would send them out with the school owls. He wanted to stress the need for them to protect their family from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. He also wanted the responses to have as much positive reinforcements as he could give them, so he didn't care if he was repeating himself. The more that listened to him, the fewer would die.

The first letter read:

_**Dear (insert name here)**_

_**Thank you for your show of support. I know it's scary that there are Death Eaters at the Ministry. I do, however, have great faith that the Minister will do his best to get it sorted. I also don't want you to panic; the Aurors are a good group and will do what is necessary to protect the British Wizarding World. I'm sure that the Ministry will tighten security around Azkaban if enough people show concern. **_

_**Again, I'd like to ask that if you can produce a Patronus charm that you practice it so that you can protect your loved ones. And if you can't produce a Patronus than please try and learn. Forget what you were told, that it's a spell only the strongest wizard can do, if I can learn it at thirteen, then anyone can. The hardest part isn't magic, it's finding a happy memory, so think on that now and grab the best, then try. **_

_**Also, it would help if you brushed up on defensive spells. I'm sure that there are many books and Flourish and Blotts that can help. If you cannot afford them then there is a second hand store in Diagon Alley, the Junk Shop, which carries old books. I only ask this so you can protect yourself and your family. **_

_**If you are concerned then please write to the Minister and show that you'll back them in the cleansing of the Ministry and that you'll support a Minister that supports you. **_

_**Thanks again for your support**_

_**Harry Potter**_

The second letter read:

_**Dear (insert name here)**_

_**I'm sorry that you feel that way. I do truly want to support the Ministry. I want the public to back the Ministry, as well. However, I know for a fact there are Death Eaters there as I've seen them myself in the presences of Voldemort. I'm hoping that with the help of the public they will be flushed out and we can win this war if we fight together. **_

_**I'd like it if you would write to the Ministry and show that you'll support him in this trying time. I'm sure you know the Ministry has your best interest at heart.**_

_**Again I'd like to ask that if you can produce a Patronus charm that you practice it so that you can protect your loved ones and if you can't then try and learn it. Forget what you were told, that only the strongest wizard can produce it, I learned it at 13 than and I'm sure you are stronger that a teenager. There are books shops in Diagon Alley that carry defensive spells. I'm asking that you brush up on these to defend yourself and your loved ones. **_

_**Harry Potter**_

Harry didn't mention the Junk Shop to the ones that were unsupportive, because like last time he was sure they were pure-blooded bigots and mostly rich. However, he didn't want anyone to be defenseless so he hoped that they would at least brush up on defensive spells. He also played up to them that they believed they were stronger than a half-blood teenager.

Harry did receive a letter from the Minister that proclaimed that Harry was trying to cause public panic and that this was no way to work together in getting the public to support the Ministry. He wrote Fudge back and the letter read:

_**Dear Minister Fudge**_

_**I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm truly trying to get the public on your side. I need help fighting this war with Voldemort and thought that now that you've seen that he is back we could work together to put a stop to him. **_

_**I wasn't lying when I said there were Death Eaters in the Ministry. I wasn't lying about Umbridge either. You've seen with your own eyes that I'm not an attention seeking liar. I had hoped that you would see that I just want what is best for magical Britain. **_

_**Now that I'm once again put in a positive position in the eyes of the public, I want it to be seen that we will work together to end this war. If you get the Death Eaters out of the Ministry and tighten security around Azkaban, then you'll have my support 100% and the public will know that we can fight and win together. I'll even write a letter of endorsement to the Daily Prophet.**_

_**I've written to everyone who wrote me that they should show you support if you clean up the Ministry.**_

_**Once again I'm on your side; however I can't hide what I know. For the sake of the entire British Wizarding World let's work together. **_

_**Harry Potter**_

He needed that idiot to think that they would work together. Harry figured he would need to throw his hat into the political ring, so to speak. Then he would get rid of Fudge and try and get someone who would do some good into office. As far as he knew the Potters and the Blacks didn't have seats on the Wizengamot (though he wasn't sure about the Blacks), but like Malfoy he could get his voice heard by his name alone. First he needed the Ministry freer from corruption.

After he put all the missives in his satchel, he went about his day. They had Care of Magical Creatures first, then Herbology. The two classes basically went over last year's lessons, so they were pretty uneventful. They had shared CoMC with the Slytherins, but they seemed subdued this year and didn't cause trouble, not even Malfoy.

Later that afternoon, in DADA, the trio could see that Professor Snape was as passionate about the Dark Arts as he was Potions. His teaching skills in this class far outweighed his teaching skills in Potions. He gave a quick quiz to see where they stood in the class. Some of the class was way behind as they hadn't been a part of the Dumbledore's Army, or DA, last year. And since Umbridge taught them nothing and they only had two good professors in the six years they had been at Hogwarts, most really hadn't advanced. And, yes, even though the fake Moody was a Death Eater, Harry felt he was a good professor. The ones that had been in the DA were up to par and some surpassed the current curriculum.

Professor Snape started at a happy medium, telling the ones behind they would have to catch up and the ones ahead they would have to be patience, since he couldn't teach two classes at once. He was still a right bastard, but at least they were learning something.

After class Harry stayed behind, telling Ron and Hermione to go on ahead. "Professor, I wondered if I could ask for your advice about something," the wary teen stated, standing a bit nervously in front of the teacher's desk, hoping that Snape at least listened to him.

They hadn't really seen each other since he told Snape about Sirius being in trouble last year. Even though the greasy-haired bat had been at Grimmauld Place many times over the summer, Harry had done his best to avoid him and the rest of the Order.

"What could you possibly want from me, Mr. Potter? Last I saw of you, you were running as far away from me as you could possible get. If I remember correctly, you were holding me to blame that your dogfather went and got himself killed," Snape said, hands folded on the desk in front of him and his customary sneer on his face, as usual going for the most painful thing he could think to say.

_Yep, this wasn't going to be easy. _Closing his eyes to the memory, Harry took a minute to collect himself. He heard a huff coming from Snape and hardened his resolve. "Well, Professor, I did a lot of thinking about that over the summer and I know you did the best you could. At first I was confused as to why it took the Order so long to come to the rescue and then I thought about how many people there are and that it would take time to get organized. But, I do have to wonder, what would have happened if Sirius really had been there and was being tortured. I mean, he probably would've died anyway or wound up like the Longbottoms. Putting my past into perspective, I also know that I've been given many tasks to 'toughen' me up. So I don't really blame you."

This cause Snape to sneer, as if it should have been obvious from the beginning.

"I also know that when I looked into your private memories that what I did was wrong," the teen hurriedly continued. "Even though I thought I was justified at the time, looking back it really was a bad thing for me to do. And I do apologize about that. I was hoping we could call a truce, at least until the war in over. I know we'll never like each other; however, we're fighting on the same side. Dumbledore trust you, so I'll do my best to trust you as well," he rambled on, noticing that Snape was indeed listening.

"I will think on it. What did you need my advice about?" Snape said, wondering what this boy was up to. But, if the brat really wanted to call a truce, then he would try and put his animosity aside and do his best to get along with him. That and a very little part of him was impressed that the boy seemed to be maturing and that the child didn't blame him for something that really was not his fault.

That night he had looked everywhere for Dumbledore to let him know what was going on. Unfortunately, the man was very good at not being found if he didn't want to be. When they finally had all of the Order together, they all hoped that they didn't arrive too late. Snape would have gone himself, but he then would have been exposed as a spy and Dumbledore didn't want that to happen.

"Oh yeah, um, I found this book in the potion's classroom," Harry said, bringing Snape out of his thoughts. "There are notes in the margin. I was wondering if you could take a look at it and tell me if they're useful. Hermione is accusing me of cheating by using it, but if you say it's okay to use then she will leave off. I want to do well in Potions this year. I know I need the NEWT to get in to the Aurors program." He pulled the book out of his satchel and handed it to Snape.

The Professor took the book and looked at the name on the front inside cover and did a double take. The words '_Property of the Half-Blood Prince'_ stared mockingly at him. Snape of course knew this was his old text, but he couldn't tell Potter that. The boy would more than likely throw the book away and the student in front of him needed all the help he could get in potions. "You found this in the Potions class?" he asked, still looking through the book as if it wasn't his. He was smiling on the inside, remembering all the work he had put into these notes.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, not noticing the double take.

Snape looked through the book carefully and had a contemplative look on his face. "I see no reason why you should not use this book for class. I strongly recommend that you do your own research in anything you find in it. _Do not_ do any of the spells without research. You do not know who wrote in it and you will not know what some of the spells can do. If you can find a place to practice, then go there and try them out before you wind up hurting someone and knowing you and your lack of patience that is quite possible," he said, snapping the book closed and handing it back to Harry.

"I will, sir, and thanks," Harry replied, retrieving his book and putting it away.

"Oh and Mr. Potter," Professor Snape said, though it looked like what he was about to say pained him, "good job on your defense class last year. Who knew you could teach Longbottom anything? Good day, Mr. Potter," he barked pointedly, lifting his finger to the door.

Harry thought about standing up for his friend, but then realized it would be time wasted, so he fled the classroom. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.

"Well, what did he say?" Hermione asked, hoping that Snape had told Harry to give the book back.

"He said he saw no reason for me not to use the textbook, as long as I did my own research," Harry answered. He was glad of that answer; he was a little shocked that it went so well. He couldn't have asked for a better ice-breaker. "It was weird; he also complimented me on the DA. I think he is going to try for the truce I offered."

"Why did you have to go and ask him anyway? Why didn't you ask Slughorn? At least he is not a greasy git," Ron asked, feeling put out that no one would listen to him about that slimy snake. He never believed Snape was on their side, no matter what Dumbledore said.

"While Snape may be a greasy git and a right bastard, we at least know he is on our side. I wanted to call a truce with him 'cause we might have to work together sometime in the future and I don't want to have to fight with him if we do," the dark-haired teen replied, once again trying to get Ron over his preconception that all Slytherins were evil.

"Oh well, that makes sense I guess. Don't know if it will work though, you two have a lot of history," the redhead said, rubbing his nose in confusion. He really didn't think it would, but if Harry felt it was important then he'd try. He'd still hate that greasy git, but Harry was right they might have to work together in the coming war and he could only fight one enemy at a time.

"Well, the only thing we can do is _try_ and I know that he won't treat me any better in class. He has to keep up appearances after all. We really shouldn't be talking about this in the hall. Who knows who could be listening," Harry said, looking around the thankfully empty hall.

"We really should look up some privacy spells so that we can have a discussion without worrying about that. I'll see what I can find in the library tonight, after I do my homework," Hermione said quietly, also casting her eyes about to see if anyone was listening. She wasn't going to give up on getting Harry to get rid of that book, but she was going to have to be subtle about it. She gave her word after all.

Harry figured he could reread some of the books in his trunk and see what privacy spells were in there. He seemed to remember reading about a few; he just didn't know if they were what were needed. He really needed to get to the Room of Requirements tomorrow and see if he could use the timer. He didn't want to fall behind from where he was in his studies just because he was at school. He would put the timer in his bag in the morning and sneak off when everyone else was in class. Hopefully it would do the job, so he could do his.

**Hphphp**

_There is a new poll on my profile, this date 1/4/16, it has nothing to do with the story, just something to satisfy my curiosity. _


	12. Room of Requirements

**Chapter 12: Room of Requirements**

_Not much changed in this chapter as it is mostly narration, but it moves things along, so I left it as such. Though I did tighten some of the scenes and connected them instead of having them stand apart, by adding sentences and deleting some. I also, broke up some of the long paragraphs. Revised 1/4/16_

**Hphphp **

The next day, during his free period, Harry snuck away to the Room of Requirements and paced in front of the door three times. _I need a room to study and practice my magic, _he thought as he paced, keeping what he wanted firmly in his mind.

A hard wood door appeared and he cautiously opened it, not knowing what to expect. When he saw what the room had given him he was pleased so he straightened up and went inside.

The room that had been created was split in two. The first half was a cross between the Gryffindor common room and a small study. There was a book shelf, a desk with a wooden swivel chair, and a couple of easy chairs scattered around a small fireplace with a large rug on the floor. All done in red and gold, well, not the desk and chair, but the easy chairs and rug were. The other half was a dueling platform with a dummy on one end. At the other end of the platform was also a place where he could practice his Transfiguration and Charms. There was no place for potions; he figured it was the Room's way of telling him that it was too dangerous to do alone. Other than that, it was a perfect set up for one person to study. He really loved magic.

After looking around, he went back to the door and pulled out his timer. He set the timer for eighty minutes and prayed that it worked. The timer started and Harry let out a sigh of relief. Now he could get to work. He pulled his shrunken trunk from his bottomless bag and set it near the desk. He then enlarged it and started on the Light books to see if he could find a privacy spell. After studying for eight hours, he took care of his needs, asking the room for a bathroom with shower, because nothing beats hot water.

Harry went to sleep in one of the recliners. He woke after about eight hours had passed and decided he needed to practice his magic. He hadn't found any spells for privacy that he deemed would be useful and was tired of looking. He practiced his magic on the dummy for a good five hours he spent three on his wandless and wordless magic. He ate again and went back to the study area.

It became his routine —eat, eight hours study, eat, eight hours magic, shower, eat, recreational reading, sleep and start over. If he did this around midnight as well, then he could get about four years extra training in before this school year was out. It would be hard, but if he was going to win he'd do it.

He had now gone through all the books in his trunk and hadn't found anything on Lordships, but two hours before he was about to leave, he found the book Sirius left him in the trunk tucked in his clothes. He had no idea how it wound up there, but he wasn't going to complain. He had forgotten all about it, so he used the last two hours on the timer to read it.

The book told him all he needed to know about being a Lord to the House of Black. There were some private notes in the margins from other Heads of Houses and they were helpful in explaining what some of the concepts meant or updating something that was out of date. He did notice that none of the notes were from Sirius, much to his disappointment. However, when he reached the back of the book he found a loose letter.

_**Harry**_

_**I just wanted to let you know, I'm sorry that I couldn't have taught you what you needed. I'm not sure if you can find any more books on this subject and I hope that this one will do you well. **_

_**Most of what is taught in this book hasn't changed and the notes in the margins are up to date. I was going to go through this book with you next year, but if you've found this letter, then I'm not there to teach you. I only hope that I'm dead and not in Azkaban. **_

_**If you get a chance, talk to some of the portraits at headquarters. They can answer your questions. Don't talk to Phineas or he will report you to Dumbledore. He used to be Headmaster after all and his portrait still hangs in the Headmaster's office. I think he used to spy on Grimmauld Place, so I don't put much trust that your secrets will be safe with him. As a matter of fact, before you talk to any of the other portraits, you should have Kreacher remove him from the wall so he can't visit any of the others at the house.**_

_**Speaking of the old man, I wrote you a letter telling you to break free from him and if I'm dead then you probably already read it. Now I'll tell you why. Dumbledore is a great man, he does what he thinks is right for the wizarding world. His problem is people are expendable, if it's for the 'Greater Good' and for some reason he thinks you're expendable. This doesn't mean that he does not care for you, it's just that for some reason he feels that you have to die. He hasn't come out and said it, but I've heard people talk. I know he's not training you and he keeps you locked with your relatives all summer. I don't feel that he means for you to live. I know there is a prophecy, but I don't know what it says. You should try and find it; it would be in the Department of Mysteries. **_

_**Do what you have to do to stay alive and if that means going against Dumbledore then that is what you should do. **_

_**I've great faith in you, Harry, and never once regretted making you my son. I had hoped for more time with you, but if you are reading this note then that didn't happen. **_

_**Hope you find this book helpful.**_

_**Love always**_

_**Sirius**_

_Well that wasn't really helpful,_ came the slightly ungrateful thought. _Wish I'd read this book at Grimmauld Place, then maybe I could have talked to some of the portraits. Oh well, I understood the book well enough. Maybe I'll ask Neville, he might know something. Ron won't. _He knew the Weasleys were not Ancient and Noble houses. He didn't know about the Longbottoms, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. _I still wonder why he thinks that Dumbledore means for me to die. I wonder if it has to do with the soul anchor that was in my scar. Maybe I should tell Dumbledore that it's gone. I'll have to think about it. _Suddenly a feeling of guilt washed over him; he should be cherishing this letter not just thinking of himself.

When the timer let him know that it was almost done, he packed up his trunk, reshrunk it and put it in his bag and glanced at the watch he had found in one of the trunks from the Black vaults. The watch only showed the time from outside the timer. If he wanted to know how many hours passed inside the room, he'd have to consult the timer. He wasn't sure why it worked like that and really didn't feel the need to question it; after all, the pamphlet said that would happen. Magic was just weird sometimes.

The timer ran out and he left the room, going down the hall, until he ran into Ron and Hermione on the way to dinner.

"Where have you been Harry? I couldn't find you after class," Hermione said inquisitive as ever, stopping so she could get her answers, causing everyone to pause in the hall. People started going around them with grumpy looks on their faces.

"I was studying. I looked through some of the books I found in the Black library looking for privacy charms. And no, they're not some of the Dark books," the dark haired teen said, heading off that argument before it started. He pulled Hermione further to the wall to get out of traffics way. Ron followed.

"How did you get the books out of the library? I tried to take some for nighttime reading when we were there and they wouldn't leave the library. I asked Kreacher why that was, but he wouldn't answer me," his bushy-haired friend complained, crossing her arms across her chest, showing her disappointment at being denied reading material.

"Yeah, the twins were quite put out that they couldn't take any out either. I think they wanted to study some of the Greyer books for their joke shop and didn't want Mum to know. They tried to sneak them out," Ron stated with a great deal of mirth, remembering how disgruntled the twins were. Anything that made them leave him alone was welcome.

"I'm the owner of the house, remember. I'm the one to put the lock down on the library. There were many cursed books in there and I didn't want anyone hurt. I had Bill go through and remove the curses. I'm glad that you and the twins weren't hurt looking through the library," Harry said, looking at his friend and smiled. He really was happy no one got hurt, although, he was a little upset that they all thought it was alright to just go through books that didn't belong to them. After all, it was only polite to ask. If he was at their house he would've asked.

He was still wondering why Hermione hadn't asked for the books left to her by Sirius. Maybe Dumbledore said something to her to make her hold off on that, although he was quite surprised that anyone could keep her from books. Then again, she thought Dumbledore could do no wrong.

"Oh yeah, I had forgotten that. Do you think Bill got rid of all the curses? There are so many books I want to read in that library," Hermione stated with a little bounce, her face brightening with her usual enthusiasm for all things written.

"I'll ask next time I see him, I'm sure he did or I wouldn't have opened the library for reading, but I better ask him to double check," Harry said. Then after a moment's thought, he added, "But, Hermione, I'll be putting restrictions on what can and cannot be taken out of the library. While I'm sure that you don't want to look through some of the Darker books, I don't want them out of the library. They're dangerous with or without curses." He was once again miffed that she didn't ask him for permission.

It was like the whole Order felt it was their right to just go through the house as if it was their own. He put the blame on Sirius, because he had giving Mrs. Weasley permission to clean the house. However, now that Harry was the owner, he took full responsibility for what was there.

"I see your point, Harry, and if I can't take it out of the library then I'll just have to study there. I'll stay away from anything too Dark," she conceded and started back down the hall. The boys followed.

They had reached the Great Hall and it was filling up with students and staff wanting to eat dinner. They sat beside Neville and started talking about their day.

After dinner, they were joined by Ginny and Luna and all of them went to the library to do their homework. Harry started with his Potion homework. Hermione gave him a glare when he pulled out his textbook, but true to her word she didn't say anything. He did offer to share it with her and even asked if she knew any books that would help him with his research. She just turned up her nose and told him that she still didn't approve and that he would have to find the answers himself.

After he was done with his homework, Harry set about putting the address spell on the form letters. He'd have just enough time to get to the owlery before curfew. When he was done mailing it all off, he ran into the rest of the gang and they all went to their own common rooms and soon enough it was time for bed.

Harry waited until 1 a.m., it seems that Ron was up watching something on his bed, since Harry didn't want him to know he too was still awake, he just left him to it. When Ron finally went to sleep, he snuck to the Room of Requirements and did his routine again. It was almost 3 a.m. when he got back to bed. It was a good thing he slept behind the timer.

The next few weeks followed that pattern. Harry would go to the Room of Requirements Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He'd set the timer for seventy-nine minutes, so he was done before class let out. He was using half the time behind the timer to practice his magic and it was coming along really well. The other half of the timer he spent doing his exercises and studying the old schoolbooks and the books Dobby brought him. Then at night he would set it for a full two hours. One can never get enough time.

He did read the potion textbook and did a few of the spells in the margin and boy was he glad he had promised Snape that he would practice them. He could've really hurt someone with a few of them. The _Sectumsempra_ spell alone would kill. He vowed that he wouldn't try anything without practicing on a dummy first. Though, he hadn't found any useful privacy spells in the books from the trunks, he did come across the _Muffliato_ spell in the margin of the potion book. Now all he had to do is teach it to Hermione and Ron without Hermione going off on where he found it.

The post was still coming in at a steady pace, though, nothing like the days after the articles. He was glad he enlisted the house elves help or he would never have time to go through it all. He did notice that Dumbledore seems to be a little upset that he was receiving fan mail and wondered why he hadn't put up the charm again. Maybe, he didn't want Harry to get suspicious that he was the one to tamper with his post in the first place. Either way, Harry was quite pleased that most of the public seemed to want to support the Ministry if it was made Death Eater free.

Harry wrote to Minister Fudge and let him know what they were telling him. What he had written to the Minister was true; he would support him as long as he put the people first, for now anyway. If he learned one thing about Fudge was that he could be bought.

His class work was going well. He was glad he had studied over the summer and it made it much easier. Ron and Hermione didn't say anything about his new study habits, which he was most thankful for. He had worried that Ron would be put out that he wasn't spending a lot of time with him, but then again, with his new relationship with Hermione, Ron was pretty booked up. The couple disappeared all the time, never telling him where they went, which was okay by him. He really didn't want to know.

With all his time practicing, Harry was now proficient in his wandless and wordless casting up to his current year, so he was trying to do the same with some of the spells he had learned from the books. He also studied ahead in all his non-wand subjects. He was caught up to his year in Arithmancy and Runes and the old schoolbooks on the classes no longer taught were almost done as well.

He did wonder if he could order some more from Flourish and Blotts, most of the previous owners must have stopped at fifth year or they had gotten new trunks and never cleaned out the old. He wanted to finish the courses, so he penned a letter to them to see if he could.

A few days later he got a response and it told him they no longer carried those books and he should try the Junk Shop. They did however have the current Arithmancy and Rune books, as well as all of his current studies, so he sent Hedwig with the money to purchase those and any current law books they had.

He wrote to the Junk Shop and explained what he was looking for. Since this was the same store he did business with all summer he felt secure in letting them know who he was. He sent that letter with a school owl.

_**To Whom It May Concern**_

_**I found some old school books in some trunks in my house they are from years 3-5 and I was wondering if you had the rest of the course years 6-7 in the following titles **_**Government and Law**_**, **_**Household Spells and House Structure**_** and **_**Spell Crafting**_**. I'll gladly take them off your hands if you do and if you have any current law books that will be helpful as well.**_

_**Thanks for your time**_

_**Harry Potter**_

Harry felt that he was doing pretty well with these subjects and now that he could do most of the household spells (wandless and wordless), he wouldn't need to worry about living on his own. Well, he had his house elves, but that was no reason to get lazy.

When he got Godric's Hollow built back up, he planned on expanding it and having a garden. He really did like to work with his hands.

He received a letter from the Junk Shop a few days later stating they had many old school books and not just on the titles that he asked for. They wanted to know if he wanted all the old books or just the ones in his letter. Harry wrote back and said that he just wanted the ones in his letter for now, but come summer he would look to see what they had. He sent back the owl with the money for the books he wanted.

A few days later they came, so now he had all the books he needed to complete the courses, this was a good thing because he was running out of things to study behind the timer. Hermione asked him what they were, but he just stated it really wasn't her business and put them in his satchel. She huffed and returned to her breakfast. Ron gave him a funny look, but didn't inquire.

Later that night, Harry decided he wanted to ask Neville about being Lord of a House. "Hey, Neville, can I talk to you a minute?" he asked, taking a seat across from his shy friend, who was sitting on the far side of the common room, trying to read up on his Transfiguration. Since the sandy-haired boy got a new wand, his power was greater and instead of making it easier, he had a harder time controlling his magic.

"Sure, did you want to go somewhere private?" Neville answered, closing his book and wondering what the Boy Who Lived wanted to talk to him about. Though they had gotten closer last year and studied this year, he still didn't think they were best friends. No, Harry spent far more time with Ron and Hermione then he did with him.

"Nah, I found a spell so we can talk here and no one will hear us," Harry said and cast the _Muffliato_ spell around the chairs they sat in. You could only hear muffled conversations of the people outside the spell. "Neville, I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about being a Lord. I mean is the house of Longbottom an Ancient and Noble House?" he asked, a look of honest curiosity in his green eyes.

"No, we are just an Ancient House. I do know that knowledge of Lordship is passed down from Lord to Heir," Neville answered, tilting his head to the side and inquiring look in his brown eyes his medium length sandy blond hair falling with the motion. He impatiently brushed it back. His gran said that he needed to grow it long as per custom and he hated it. "Why do you want to know? As far as I know the Potters weren't a Noble House either."

"Um, well, I need you to promise to keep this a secret," Harry said, scooting closer even though they couldn't be heard, hoping he could trust Neville.

"Yeah, I can keep a secret," Neville answered, leaning forward as well, serious look on his face.

"I'm the Black heir," Harry whispered, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention. "Well, now I'm the Black Head of House. Sirius made me his heir, but he died before he could teach me anything. He did leave me a book and I've finished it, but there are some questions that it didn't answer so I was hoping that you could help. It is alright that you can't," he hurriedly said at the look of self-disappointment on his friend face. "I just didn't know who else to ask, most of our roommates are half-bloods or muggle-borns and I know Ron's family isn't from a Noble house either or if they were they aren't anymore. And I can't ask Malfoy," he grimaced, scrunching up his nose at the thought.

This caused Neville to scowl at the thought and nod his head in agreement. He scooted closer to hear more.

"Don't tell anyone," Harry whispered, "not even Ron and Hermione. Ron would have a fit if he knew I was a Lord. Hermione would badger me with questions I can't answer."

"It's okay, Harry I'll keep your secret," Neville answered, patting his friend on the shoulder, feeling a little proud that Harry trusted him with this.

"Thanks, Neville, you're a good man," Harry said, clapping him on the back and taking down the spell.

It was disappointing, but from what he read in the book being a Lord was more of a courtesy title. Most of what was expected of him was to have a voice in political areas, like the supporting laws and such. That and to have teas with other Heads of Houses. He'd also get better service in shops and restaurants, hence the magic on the ring. Since there were no holdings in the Black family anymore, he didn't have people to watch over. In the book it stated that if he had become a Lord fifty years ago there were lands he would have had to look after, but the Black family had sold them off.

He planned on using the Boy Who Lived title anyway, but this would give him a stronger voice. He'd write to other Lords and get himself heard and see who was of like thinking. Maybe there was a book in the library that would tell him who the Light and Grey family were and who was Dark. He'd look tomorrow. Right now, he was tired and wanted to just take a nap before he slipped to the ROR.

The next day, after classes, Harry did find a book in the library and there was a list of Head of Houses, it also listed the laws they supported. This let him know where they stood. So he drafted a form letter.

_**Dear (insert name here)**_

_**I have recently found that I'm the Head of the House of Black. I would like to introduce myself to you. I am Lord Harry James Potter-Black. **_

_**I would invite you to tea; however, I am still in school and cannot entertain at this time. When I leave school I would like to discuss with you the current political arena so that I can better understand what is expected of me. My adopted father passed away before he could educate me in what it means to be Head of House. **_

_**I feel, by the list of laws that you support, that we are of like thinking. I am hoping that by talking to my elders, I can get a better grasp on what is going on in the Wizengamot and understand how to get my voice heard. **_

_**At this time, I would appreciate if you kept my title to yourself. Call it a courtesy of one Lord to another; there are factions that will use this against me. **_

_**I thank you for your time. **_

_**Lord Harry James Potter-Black**_

_There, that sounds formal enough. I hope I don't offend anyone by calling them elder. I really hope they will keep this to themselves, I'm taking a pretty big risk here, but courtesy demands I be polite._

He sent the letters out with the school owls. He wasn't really looking forward to all the teas he'd have to host and go to, but it was unavoidable. The dark-haired teen really wasn't looking forward to the matchmaking. They'd all tell him he needed an heir. He knew this, but he wanted to marry for love not just to produce and heir.

It was a good thing he was looking on his own. He was already chatting with the brazen and bold Mandy Brocklehurst, the happy and fun loving Tracey Davis, the sporty Katie Bell and that shy little Sally Anne Perks. He had partnered up with each one in whatever class they shared, except for Katie she was a year ahead of him, but he saw her during Quidditch practice. There might be some flack, as not all of them were pure-blood (and that might send the hounds a baying), but Harry wasn't going to let anyone dictate who he married.

The months flew by, with self-studying and classes. It was now close to Halloween and Harry wondered what would happen this year. Maybe it would be a quiet year and nothing would go wrong. He hadn't had any dreams or visions since the soul anchor was removed, so he had no idea what Voldemort was up to, other then what was in the paper. And other than a few raids, there wasn't much happening.

With using his free period and waking up at midnight to complete his extra studying, Quidditch practice, scouting girls, and his homework sessions with his friends —he really didn't have time for adventures. Well, he had time for the extra studying and girls, but not the homework and Quidditch.

He received letters back from the Lords and most said they'd be more than happy to help him navigate the political arena. That and they would love to come to tea when he was no longer in school. They also commented that they'd keep this information between them, until such time Harry was more public about it. There were a few that felt that Harry was not someone that would support the same laws as they did and they would think about the teas at a later date, after they saw what he did and didn't do.

Harry felt this was a pretty good start.


	13. Malfoy and the Room of Hidden Things

**Chapter 13: Malfoy and the Room of Hidden Things**

_It has been pointed out to me that Harry is being hypocritical about emptying the RHT after blasting his friends for going through his stuff. In my defense Harry owns his stuff and the things in the Room don't belong to anyone. Furthermore, he makes sure that every bit of money he makes from the sales and all the books to go Hogwarts, anything he keeps he donates the value back to the school. _

_Commas, commas everywhere and none in the correct place. I'm pretty sure I got them all, but commas aren't my friends. Revised 1/4/16_

**Hphphp**

Shortly before Halloween, Harry decided to tell his friends about the _Muffliato_ spell. "Hey, Hermione," he said when he caught up with them after his break, "I found a spell that should work well for us. You know for when we need to talk in private."

"Really, Harry, that is great," Hermione enthused, bouncing in place, her frizzy hair flying. " I looked all over the library and the ones I found can all be broken easily. Where did you find it?" she asked, with a furrow of her brow, not understanding how she could miss finding the spell, while Harry could find it.

"I found it in that potions book. Don't worry I tested it before I told you about it. I went to the Room of Requirements and checked it out there," the messy-haired wizard explained, hoping that she wouldn't argue about it, but liking her enthusiasm. He could tell she was definitely a girl. "I set up a dummy that made noise, put the spell on it and tried to take it down. It worked and the only counter-spell I found was in the book. I think this is what we need. It doesn't completely block the sound, but it makes it muffled and distorted so people can't hear what you are saying." He braced himself for the argument he knew was coming.

"Harry, are you sure we should be using a spell from that book? I still don't like that you are using it, even though Professor Snape said it was okay. I have kept my peace about it, but I don't like that there are spells in a potions book. It doesn't make sense," Hermione berated, her good mood destroyed with just the mention of that thrice damned book. To her way of thinking Harry was doing something stupid by reading it and practicing the spells in it. They really didn't know who wrote it. What if the spells were Dark?

"Hermione, I've researched it," Harry argued back, leaning against the wall his arms across his chest and legs crossed at the ankles. "I tried finding the spell in the library and couldn't find it anywhere. I think whoever wrote the notes creating their own spells. That is why I tested it," he said pointedly, his green eyes flashed. "You really need to quit treating me like a child," he all but spat. "I wouldn't cast a spell on someone without trying it out on a dummy first. I'm mature enough to know that some spells can kill. I thought you had more faith in me than that."

Hermione seemed to want to argue a lot lately and he was not sure why. Maybe she felt that she was the only one growing up, which was weird 'cause she complimented him on the train, but she still treated him and Ron like they were children and it was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Okay, Harry, if you say you tested it then I'll let it go. I don't like that you are trying unknown spells from an unknown person, but if you say it worked we will try it," Hermione conceded, ignoring the rest of his statement. She still felt that he was being reckless, but really what harm could a silencing spell do.

"Okay, here's how it works," Harry said, standing, circling his wand above their heads and saying the spell. All noise from around them became muffled and distorted showing them that it had indeed worked.

"This is great Harry," Ron said as he listened to the muffled noise. "Yeah, I also looked at some other books and couldn't find anything in them either. I think this one will work fine."

_At least someone trusts me_, Harry thought, giving his friend a big smile.

"Now I can tell you about Malfoy," the taller boy said, leaning forward to make sure they heard his whisper, surprising both his friends. "He's been sneaking into the Room of Requirements at night. I'm not sure what he is up to, but it can't be good," he stated with a proud look on his face, as if he accomplished something they hadn't.

"How do you know that, Ron? Are you following him?" Hermione questioned with her eyebrow raised, hoping that wasn't the case since that would mean that he was out after curfew.

"No, I borrowed Harry's map. The Room of Requirements isn't on the map, is it? That's where he disappears, on the seventh floor. If he's not there then he is pacing his room for hours. I'm sure he is up to something," the redhead stated, nodding his head in finality and feeling very sure of himself. He didn't trust that little ferret and he was dead sure he was a Death Eater.

Harry didn't even know Ron had borrowed the map. That did explain what Ron was looking at each night. Harry never even noticed it was missing. His friend must banish it back to his trunk when he was done. "Ron, you aren't leaving the dorm with it are you?" he questioned his best mate.

"Nah, I'm not sneaking out of the dorm. I just watch him from the comfort of my bed. I don't have your Invisibility Cloak and I know better than to borrow that. I just know that slimy snake is up to something. I was hoping we could follow him one night or see if we can get the room to show us what he is up to," Ron said in a hopeful voice.

"Why didn't you ask if you can borrow my map? You know it is one of the few things I have left from my dad and Sirius," Harry snapped, letting the hurt show in his voice and on his face.

"That's one of the reasons I didn't leave the room with it. I know how important it is to you. And after what you said on the train, I didn't think you'd believe me that Malfoy is up to something," Ron said, putting his hand on his best mates shoulder, trying to placate him. "Now that you know that he's sneaking around, I was hoping we could find out what." He dropped his hand when Hermione started in on him.

Harry thought about it for a few minutes, while Hermione talked to Ron about borrowing things that were not his. He snorted and thought, _Like she had room to talk the way she wanted to borrow books from his library without asking._

He tuned the conversation back in. "Okay, here is what I'm going to do. On my next free period, I'll go to the Room of Requirements and see if it'll show me what Malfoy is up to. But Ron," he said meaningfully, turning to get closer to his mate and leaning in so the redhead could see his face clearly, "I don't want you borrowing any of my things without asking first. Don't I have the right to some privacy? The things in my trunk are mine and you," poking a finger to the other boy's chest, "should ask first."

"Okay, sorry, we'll do it your way first," Ron complied, backing up so Harry wasn't in his space anymore. He wasn't sure what he did wrong, they were best mates after all, and they should share everything. Well, maybe not the birds.

"Right, my next free period in tomorrow afternoon, so I'll check it out then," Harry said, standing straighter and shrugging his shoulder. He could tell Ron really didn't get it, maybe with time he would. He waved his wand and took down the silence spell.

The next day he paced in front of the Room of Requirements _I need to know what Malfoy is up to, _he thought as he paced.

A light wooden door appeared and Harry carefully went inside. There he saw the biggest mass of stuff he had ever seen. Most of it was junk from the looks of it.

There were piles and piles of unwanted items laying around. Some of them reached the ceiling. There were shelves everywhere, which had more odds and ends on them. There were quite a few trunks as well and some of them were full.

He figured there must be things in here that was thousands of years old. He thought he caught a glimpse of jewels. He looked on with awe, what he could do with all this left him speechless. Maybe he could find more books and stuff in those trunks, but first he needed to see what Malfoy was up to, so he started to look around.

Following the footprints in the dust, he went towards the middle of the room. A space that was clear of dust came into to view. In the middle of that space was a large wooden cabinet. It looked to be broken. _I wonder if this is what he is working on. Hmmm, what does it do?'_ He vaguely remembered seeing a similar cabinet in Burgin and Burkes. If there were two did that mean that they were connected? Harry decided not to take that chance, shrunk the cabinet and put it in his bottomless bag.

"Dobby, Winky," he called. He figured they could go through some of these trunks and shelves and see if there was anything that he could use, like some of the books that weren't too bad off. He didn't feel like it was stealing since it seemed no one wanted whatever was in the room. Besides, he could always give any books he didn't need to the school library and pay for the rest with a donation.

The two elves popped in.

"Harry Potter, why are we in the Come and Go room?" Dobby asked his green eyes wide as he looked around the room in wonder. He had been here before and this is where the Hogwarts house elves put lost and forgotten things. Yet, it never stopped impressing him the things humans threw away.

"I was hoping you two could go through some of this… junk and find me some useful books and things. I don't want you to go through all of it," Harry added, "just the trunks and shelves. If you can empty a few of the trunks and put anything you find useful in there, that'd be great. You know what I need; parchment, ink, books, clothes and anything of value. Especially if you find things like Invisibility Cloaks and other such useful tools. If you find anything Dark it should probably be put in the Black family vault," he softly ordered, hoping this would give the two house elves something to do. There couldn't be much work for them at Grimmauld Place now that it was clean. It wasn't really big enough for three house elves. "Hey, Dobby, are the curse breakers still going through the vault?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, Harry Potter, sir. They is still going through it. They is saying to Dobby that they may be needing another month to be finishing. There were many Dark things in Harry Potter's house and vault," Dobby answered, still looking around the room eyes wide with excitement and wonder that he would have such a great task.

"So, do you two think this is something that'll keep you busy for a while? I'm sure you are getting bored at Grimmauld Place," Harry asked the elves.

"Yes, sir, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is being most bored at sir's house. There is not being enough work for us. We is trying to share, but we is starting to fight on who is going to do what and Harry Potter's Mrs. Wheezy is still doing all the cooking when the Order is there. This is being a good solution to our problems, sir," Dobby said, finally looking at his Master. "The Great Harry Potter is a kind master. Thinking about his house elves. Dobby is thinking that Harry Potter is the greatest master of all time. He is so very kind." He ran and hugged Harry's knees in a tight grip.

"Winky is thinking this is being just what she is needing. Winky is thinking that Kreacher would be most happy if Winky and Dobby is leaving the house to him. Winky will be most happy sorting through this for Harry Potter," Winky said with enthusiasm, nodding her head and bouncing in place, also pleased to work on such an important assignment.

"That's great, both of you," Harry beamed at them, gently untangling Dobby from his legs. Then he turned serious, "Remember there are other people who will try and use this room. Try not to be caught, I don't want you hurt. I use this room every other day, so I know you won't be able to get in during that time. It's the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday and Friday just before dinner and every night at 1 a.m."

"The Great Harry Potter is trying to make himself greater," Dobby gushed, nodding his head as if it were a perfect idea.

"Yeah, well, I think that Malfoy is sneaking up here at night, but I don't know when. I know he is in his dorm when I come here. So just be careful," Harry said, ignoring the compliment. And with that Harry left the room, and let the two house elves work.

He hoped they didn't try and do the whole room. There was over 1000 years' worth of rubbish in that room. They would wear themselves out. Oh well, he would check on them in a week, and see how they were faring. He then got a thought; he really needed to write to Spearhead about Godric's Hollow, it would give them more to do when he left school.

Since he gave up the rest of his free period to the house elves, he decided to go to the library and see if he could find anything out about the cabinet. He'd tell Ron and Hermione about it when they got out of class. There he saw Katie reading, so he joined her and talked about non-essential things just trying to get to know each other.

He met up with Ron and Hermione on the way to the Great Hall, so he stopped them and put up the _Muffliato_ spell. "Hey guys, I think I found out what Malfoy was up to. We're going to have to do a bit more research to know if what I found was something bad, but I found this room in the Room of Requirement, which had loads of junk," he stated, waving his hands wide in front his body and above his head, showing just what he meant by loads. "In the middle of a clearing was a cabinet. I remember seeing one just like it when I got lost in Knockturn Alley that first summer, remember, Ron?" he waited for Ron to nod in acknowledgement. "So I took the cabinet, shrunk it, and put it in my bag. I figured if there were two of them that can't be good."

"See I told you he was up to no good," Ron said smugly, crossing his arms and giving Hermione a self-righteous look, knowing that he had been right.

"Ron," she snapped defensively, "just because Harry found the cabinet doesn't mean that Malfoy was doing something wrong. It could be for a class project or something. Harry is right we need to do more research," she said, shaking her head and wondering how he could be so cynical.

"Well if Ron is right, then it is a good thing I found the cabinet and if Hermione is right, then hopefully Malfoy will find something else to work on. There was heaps of things in that room; if it's for a school project I'm sure he can find something else," Harry said, trying to divert yet another argument. He took down the spell and they headed for dinner, his two mates still glaring at one another.

After dinner they, Neville, Luna and Ginny headed to the library to do their homework. It was pretty much a nightly ritual now. After the homework was done Hermione headed into the stacks and found some books for them to look up the cabinet in. They were trying to find if the two were connected somehow.

The next day, Harry looked a Malfoy and saw that his pointed face was paler than normal. His hair was uncombed and slightly greasy and his clothes rumpled and disarrayed. He looked scared. He didn't know what had the blond so scared, but felt it had something to do with the cabinet. He had hoped that he had been wrong and that Hermione had been right. On the other hand, a school project wouldn't put the fear he saw in Malfoy's eyes there.

He wondered if it was too late to help Malfoy. He may not like the git, but he really didn't want anything bad to happen to him. And if Malfoy was frightened that could only mean Voldemort or his father. He vowed he would find out if he could help. It must be his 'people saving thing' as Hermione called it. Maybe he could ask Snape.

After the DADA class, a few days later, he stayed behind and told Ron and Hermione to go ahead of him. "Professor, I'm worried about something and thought you could help," the young Gryffindor started tentatively. "Well, really, I'm worried about someone and since they're in your House, I thought you might like to know." He pushed a little, hoping that the truce held.

"And who do you think could possibly need help from me. I thought you and your little friends hated all things Slytherin," Snape sneered, glancing at the brat to judge just how truthful he was being. He knew that Harry and his friends only cared for themselves.

"Well, sir, you'd be wrong in that assumption. My grandmother was Slytherin and so in Andromeda Tonks and I have nothing against either of them. I have nothing against you being Slytherin either. I just have something against the way you treat me and my friends," Harry stated a sincere looking in his eyes, hoping to get through his snarky professor. "I'm worried about Malfoy. I think he's up to something. We know he was working on something here in the castle and when we found out what it was, we hid it. Now he seems to be really afraid. I'm not sure if he's a Death Eater or not, but I think Voldemort has threaten him or his family. I don't want to see him hurt by this and was hoping you could help him."

"What was it you found, Potter?" Snape asked, already knowing what Malfoy was tasked with, but he wasn't going to tell this child.

"I'd rather not say, Professor. Let's just say, it's well hidden now and can't be used to harm anyone," Harry answered, hoping that that would be the end of that line of questioning.

"Very well, I will ask Mr. Malfoy if he is in need of assistance. I would think you will do well to stay out of it from here on out and let me handle it. I want you would keep all this to yourself, well besides your little friends," Professor Snape answered firmly, figuring that if they were going to hold a truce he would do well not to be too snarky or confrontational. Though he was shocked that Potter was thinking of someone besides himself and a Slytherin at that, maybe there was hope after all.

"Thanks, Professor. I really hope it's not something that can't be helped. Hermione says it's my 'people saving thing', but I do hope you can help him." And with that Harry turned and fled the room while things were going well, not wanting to push his luck.

"What was that all about, Harry?" Ron asked when they met in the hall.

Harry cast the _Muffliato_ and answered him. "I was hoping he could help Malfoy," he shrugged it off like it was no big thing. "I think that he is being threatened by Voldemort, 'cause if he is a Death Eater he's not a very good one. If you watch you'll see he is terrified of something and that started after we found the cabinet."

"You want to help Malfoy? Why? He has been nothing but a complete git to you since the day you met," Ron asked his face had gone slack with awe; eyes widened and mouth open, showing the feeling of great surprise.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want him hurt or dead. He's still a human being, Ron. Can you really say that you want him tortured or dead?" Harry asked, trusting that his mate really didn't want that. He knew Ron was a hot head, but he was sure that he was not a cruel man.

"Well, no," Ron answered, scratching his head in slight confusion. "Now that you put it that way I don't want to see the ferret hurt like that. I mean it is one thing to throw punches or jinxes, but that is all. I mean, we never really set out to hurt one another, but I still don't trust him. I know he's still up to something and I think we should still watch him."

"We will, I don't think he's going up to the Room of Requirements anymore. I haven't seen him leave his room on the map in days." Harry had decided that he would keep an eye on Malfoy to see if they were right about the cabinet and the git had not returned to the Room after the night he removed it.

"Well, that's good then, at least we put a stop to something. Wonder what else he's up to," Ron said with a thoughtful look on his face.

Harry shrugged and the conversation dropped there.

A week later, he called the elves to him in the Room of Requirement. They arrived with a 'pop'. "Hey how are you two holding up?" he asked, his face a mask of concern. "I want to make sure that you're not working too hard."

"Dobby is doing great, Harry Potter. Dobby is having the most fun time working in this room. There is many, many things that Harry Potter, would be liking. We is putting them in the trunks and is taking them to Grimmauld Place for Harry Potter to be looking at," Dobby said, bouncing from foot to foot, hats tipping wildly, his too big socks threatening to slide off his feet.

"Winky is agreeing with Dobby. We is only finding a few Dark things and we is taking them to Harry Potter's Black vault, just like Harry Potter is telling us to do," Winky said also dancing from foot to foot, her little tea towel swaying with her motion.

"So this isn't too much for you? You're having fun?" Harry asked, seeing they were indeed excited. Both house elves nodded so quickly that their ears slapped against their heads. "That's great, just do what you can and try not to work too hard. Dobby, I need you to come during my free periods, before I put the timer up, and bring me a few of those trunks so I can go through them and more of the Dark books from the Black family vault. Winky, can you see if you can sell any of this stuff? " he asked.

Harry had decided that there might be some things in here that could be sold and then he could make a private donation to the school. He reached the conclusion that he could also make a contribution for the cost of anything he kept. Also if there were books that he couldn't use they could be donated as well. That being decided made him feel a little better about cleaning out the room for his own purpose.

"Yes, sir, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said, giving a mock salute; long thin hand flat against his forehead, palm out. He knew he could get away with that with the Great Harry Potter. He had the bestest master in the whole world.

Winky looked at him like he was foolish to tease the master, but he didn't care. Winky also gave her approval of the chore and started working.

"Good you guys can work in here now," Harry said and left the room. They had not found anything about the cabinet and he really wanted to know what Malfoy was up to, so he went to the library to do some more research.

And so it went, Dobby would bring trunks and books to his master, before he set the timer, and Harry would spend half his time going through them.

There were plenty of trinkets in the trunks and the teen had no idea what they were for, so he put them back to be sorted out later. There were six Invisibility Cloaks, so far, though most looked past their prime. He figured they had a year or two left. He'd give them to his friends and whoever he started dating seriously. It did make him wonder just how long his had been the family and why it was so special.

There were weapons of all shapes and sizes and plenty of wands and holsters. He'd distribute those as well and whatever wasn't chosen he would send to Ollivander's or the Junk Shop for them to resell. All the money found was put in his vault to be given as a support for school brooms, since most of the ones found here were useless.

He added the books to his three compartment trunk to be studied. He put all of his Dark books he read in another trunk, so Dobby could take them to the library at Grimmauld Place. He studied his magic, and tried to do the spells from the books. He got to where he was ahead of what was being taught now —wandlessly and wordlessly. He spent more time sorting through all the stuff then he did studying, but he did set eight hours aside to do some dueling on the dummy. He kept up his exercise, and was now in pretty good shape.

All of this made him feel good, now all he had to do was figure out what Voldemort was up to and how to defeat him. That and he was still worried about Halloween.


	14. The CoS and First Date

**Chapter 14: The Chamber of Secrets and the First Date**

_Not much changed in this chapter, mostly removing and adding commas. Though I did move some paragraphs around. Revised 1/4/16_

**Hphphp**

Halloween had passed without incident and now it was the middle of November as it was getting close to Yule. He wondered if he should stay at the castle or go with Ron to Grimmauld Place. He wanted to go to the Chamber of Secrets and felt that it would be best to go during the break when there were fewer people in the castle and less chances of being caught.

"Hey, Harry, are you coming home with us for Yule break?" Ron asked a few weeks before the break. They were getting ready for bed.

"No, I think I'm going to stay here," Harry said, waving his friend over then casting the _Muffliato_ spell. "I want to go to the Chamber of Secrets. That and Katie is staying, so I thought I would ask her to spend time with me."

"What do you want to go there for?" Ron asked in confusion, wondering why anyone would want to go back to that horror chamber.

"I want to see if there was anything there besides the snake. It's too big of a place to just house a snake in. I want to see if Voldemort left anything behind we should be worried about. Don't worry if I find anything, I'll leave it there or maybe tell Dumbledore I found it," Harry answered, knowing full well he wouldn't tell the old man anything.

"Well, I can see why you would want to do that, but why do you want to do it over the break? Can't you just sneak down in the evening?" the redhead asked, not understanding why someone would want to give up on Yule just to go some dark hole in the ground, though he did understand about talking to a girl, the less people around the better. He gave a full body shudder and the memory of what happened when he asked Fleur to the ball. "I didn't know you were chatting up Katie. When did that happen?" he added with a sly grin and a rib nudge.

"Yeah, I could, but then I'd have a greater chance at getting caught. Who knows how big that chamber is, I might be down there all night and I want to keep this quiet if I can," Harry explained slowly and then ribbed his friend back. "I've been talking to her for about a month now. You've seen us partner after Quidditch practice."

"You guys must be hiding it, I never noticed anything," Ron said a bewildered look on his face.

"Well, you know I can't let anyone know I'm interested in someone, they might get kidnapped or killed just because I'm chatting with them. It's a good thing only you guys knew about Cho," Harry explained, not liking it, but accepting that's the way it had to be and any girl he started dating would have to understand as well.

"Okay, but you are the one who has to tell Mum," Ron shrugged, better Harry than him. Mum wasn't going to be happy that Harry blew off Yule with the family to talk to a girl and go exploring.

"I will. I'm sure she'll understand. I'll tell her I just want to be alone this Yule and that I'll join your family next year when the pain is not so fresh," Harry said, knowing he could play Mrs. Weasley's sympathy. Though he felt a little bad about it, she was like a mother to him.

"Yeah, that might work," Ron stated and the two finished getting ready for bed.

Before he went to the ROR that evening, Harry wrote Mrs. Weasley a letter stating just that and sent it off with Hedwig the next morning.

Hermione of course didn't agree, "Harry, you can't keep doing this. Sirius is gone; you can't keep all those emotions to yourself. It's not good for you."

Harry was gutted, how could she be so blunt? "Ummm, what? What even makes you think I'm depressed in any way?" he asked. He hadn't got around to telling her why he was really staying. They really hadn't talked in a while. Most of the time they just studied, but he thought Ron would have told her. Guess he was too busy snogging to get any words out.

"Harry, I know you. You do this every time; you did it after Cedric and Quirrell. You can't repress like this," she stated, folding her arms in an I-know-you-better-than-you-know-yourself way.

"Well, I guess you don't know me as well as you think you do. I'm doing something else here, but since you know me so well, you can figure it out your own bloody self," he snapped and then he took a deep breath. He really didn't want to throw away six years of friendship. Hermione had always stood by him, but he really wasn't going to take this much longer. "Look, Hermione, you might want to take some time this break to decide just where you want this relationship to go. You're my friend, you've always been there for me and I appreciate it, but you're not my mother, nor my sister. I won't put up with this from you. Think about it," he said and left without another word. Hoping she did take the time to think.

They didn't talk the rest of the time before the break.

The day after everyone left for Yule, Dumbledore called Harry to his office. "Harry, my boy, come in and have a seat," the Headmaster said, pointing to the rather ordinary chair in front of his desk, which the he kept for students. "Would you like a Lemon Sherbet?"

"No thanks, sir," Harry said as he sat.

"Now, Harry, I wanted to talk to you about some lessons I want you to start with me next term," Dumbledore said with that twinkle in his eye, like he was doing Harry a great favor.

"What kind of lessons, sir?" the dark haired teen said excitedly, hoping that finally Dumbledore would be giving him some training. It would be great and he would think better of the man.

"There are some things in Voldemort's past that I think we need to go over, so that we may better comprehend him now. There are some things that I would like to show you, so that you will have a better understanding as to what you are fighting for," the old man stated, leaning forward on his desk, hoping to convey just how important these lessons were.

"Oh, okay, if that is what you think is best, sir," the young man said, not able to keep the disappointment completely out of his voice. This pretty much proved that what Sirius wrote in his letters. Dumbledore was setting him up to take a fall. Well, he would come to these lessons and maybe he might learn why.

"Now, Harry, I know you want to learn to fight, however I feel that this is the best course of action at this time. There will be plenty of time for you to learn to fight in the future," Dumbledore said in his best I-know-more-than-you-do voice, settling back in his chair his hands folded over his beard. "Harry, I also wanted to talk to you about the letters you are sending to the paper. Are you sure it is a good idea to panic the public like this?"

"I just want them to know what is happening in their government. I think it's a good idea to have them stand up for themselves instead of cowering behind a teenage boy," Harry said and then paused in thought and continued. "I noticed this summer, after the first letter, that I'm getting post and that makes me wonder why I didn't receive any in the past. I hope that you didn't have anything to do with that, sir," he said green eyes narrowed almost to slits, letting the barmy old man know that he was dead sure that he did know why Harry never got letters.

"I only did what I thought was best, Harry," Dumbledore said with a sigh, wondering why people had started questioning him. "It would not have done you any good to know how the public thought of you. I told your aunt that there would be little contact when she took you in and letters from your fans would have negated that."

"If I had received letters from my fans, maybe they would've treated me better," Harry said, leaning forward, lines of anger around his eyes. "If my relatives knew what the public thought of me they might not have been so hard on me. After all, they moved me to Dudley's second bedroom when they thought they were being watched. I don't appreciate that you interfered with my life like that, sir." Though he really didn't think that it was possible. He just wanted to express his ire that Dumbledore interfered like that.

"I can only apologize, my boy. I only did what I thought was best," Dumbledore said again in what he hoped to be a placating voice, holding both hands in a surrender gesture. "I do hope that you are answering your missives in a positive note. We do not want a repeat of what happened in the papers last year. Your letters have caused quite a stir. I have received post from Minister Fudge asking me to stop you."

"I'll continue to send my letters to the paper as long as they help people. Once Minister Fudge cleans up the Ministry I'll support him. I've already sent letters to him stating that," Harry said defensively, his face rearranging into a pout, arms crossed and he thumped back in his chair, not at all looking like the mature man he was trying to portray. "You can't really stop me, sir. Your role as Headmaster doesn't mean you can tell me what to write to the paper. If I were any other student we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"You are correct, Harry, however you are not any other student. You are someone that the public looks up to. I just want you to be careful. Please, think about what I have said," the Headmaster compelled.

"Well, if that'll be all, sir. I've got homework that needs to be done."

"Yes, Harry that is all and may I say how proud I am to see you so intent on your studies," Dumbledore said, smiling with his eyes twinkling again.

"Thank you, sir. I'll see you at dinner." And with that Harry left the office, shoulders slumped with disappointment.

Harry waited till that night and armed with his map and his Invisibility Cloak, he made his way to Moaning Myrtles bathroom. Once there he went to the sink and open the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. He was glad Myrtle wasn't there.

He stood at the gaping hole and thought. He really didn't think that Salazar Slytherin would slide down a pipe —or Voldemort for that matter. So, he hissed for stairs and the pipe formed a winding staircase. Harry cast a _Lumos_ and went down, before he went too far he closed the entrance, so no one could follow. He didn't think that would happen, but why take the chance.

At the bottom of the staircase there were still all the skeletons of little animals that the basilisk had eaten all those years it was in the chamber. He came to the cave-in that Lockhart had created. The hole that he and Ginny had used looked really small to him, so he used some of the spells he had learned in the house structure book and created an arch.

He came to the big double door that led to the main chamber, hissed for it to open and went through. His wand at the ready.

Everything looked the same as last time he was here. It was kinda creepy; the dark grey stone walls dripping with water, the floor with the dried blood from the basilisk and himself. The statues were just a foreboding as ever, candle light playing with their sneering features, making them look like they were alive and not at all happy that Harry was back.

He turned and looked at the dead basilisk. It looked to be pretty fresh. He figured this was because it was very cold in the chamber. Now that he made sure that it was no longer a threat, he had time to look around. There were many tunnels leading to the pipes of the castle and he hoped there were rooms off these tunnels that would hold an office or library.

After looking for hours he finally stumbled on an office just off the main chamber. In the office were many bookcases with books that looked to be in _parseltongue_. The bookcases were old and molded, cracked with the years of being in a damp environment. Harry wondered why there weren't preservation charms on them, maybe there had been, but they wore off.

There were also many blank spaces on the shelves, showing that books had been removed. He took his three compartment trunk out and took another trunk from it. He ran his ring on the books and found them to be curse free. He cast a cleaning spell on them. Then he shrank the books and put them in the trunk, shrunk it and put it back in the second compartment, reshrunk his trunk and pocketed it.

He then went back to the main chamber and went to the statue of Salazar Slytherin. He called for the mouth to open and climbed to the chamber inside. There wasn't much there. He did notice a small statue off to the side of the chamber. He ran his ring over it and found it to be cursed. He resized the trunk and pulled out a lead lined bag, which he had found in the Room of Hidden Things. He put the bag over the top of the statue and tipped it, making sure not to touch it. He called Dobby.

"Where are we being now, Harry Potter?" Dobby asked, looking around the dark chamber with wide frightened eyes. His master was always calling him to strange places.

"We're in the Chamber of Secrets. Dobby, I need you to take this bag and put it in the Black family vault. Ask the curse breakers to see if they can break the curse. I think this is the curse on the DADA position. Maybe if they can break it someone would last for more than a year. Well, I'm not sure if Snape wants to have the position for more than a year, but he seems to enjoy teaching it more than potions," Harry mused, handing the bag to Dobby.

"Dobby will be doing as Harry Potter is asking. He will be asking the curse breakers to look at it first thing in the morning," the little elf said and with a look of anxiety he took the bag warily, placed it carefully under his shirt and with a nod to his master he left.

Back in the main chamber Harry wondered if he should tell Snape about the basilisk and see if he would find it useful. Because though Snape loved the dark arts, he loved potions just as much. Well, he would see about it over the break if he could get the professor alone.

Harry went out of the chamber, up the stairs and back into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He had wandered around that chamber for quite a few hours. It was around 2 a.m. and he was pretty tired. So, he went to his dorm and went to sleep. He would go to the Room of Requirements tomorrow and look over the books he found. He really didn't expect to find anything important, figuring that if Voldemort had found something Dark in that library he would have taken it with him. He was also hoping to talk to Katie and see if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade with him.

The next afternoon, Harry headed to the Room of Requirements and set his timer for ninety minutes and went through the books. To his surprise most of the books were on Light and Grey magic. There were no Dark books, so he assumed he was right and Voldemort had taken them.

The books were kind of hard to read because the _parseltongue_ translated into Old English and Gaelic, since it was Salazar that wrote them. He didn't even know that _parseltongue_ could be written in anything but English. He had to ask the room to give him some way to help him translate them. It provided him with a text that had an old translation spell in it, so he used that and got to work. _This is going to take a while. Good thing I have this timer._

Most of the spells in the books were the same as the ones in the older books he had, they were just in _parseltongue_. Some of the spells were really old and had been improved over time and some were spells forgotten in history. He did find one that could create a tunnel through wards. _That will be helpful._

There was one book that said that the spells done in _parseltongue_ were stronger than those in Latin or Greek and quicker too. They were, however, better in wandless and wordless form, because it was quicker to think then to say words out loud.

Harry read the books to see if there were any spells on how to undo the soul anchors and if there was anything in the books not taught in regular classes. There were, but they were really out of date, though the history books were really useful. There was nothing on soul anchors, though. That was a bit disappointing.

After the timer went off he went down to dinner none the wiser.

There weren't many people staying over the Yule break. Only a few students from each house in different years. Malfoy was one of them, probably afraid to go home. Harry did his best to talk to everyone and put on a good public face, especially Katie. He was tired of people thinking that he was unapproachable and he really wanted to start dating. He was a teenage boy after all and she was very pretty. With her long dishwater blonde hair and her brown eyes, that he could look into forever.

He caught Malfoy in the hall before dinner the next day. "Malfoy, I wanted to talk to you."

"What do you want, Potter?" Malfoy sneered as he stopped and looked at his rival. You could see the fear in his eyes, barely, but it was there. He was very good at hiding his feelings. The mask he wore was years of work, it cast him as above all others and that was just the way he liked it.

"I just wanted to let you know that if you needed someone's help go to Snape. I think you'll find that he _can_ help," Harry said, trying to encourage Malfoy in to doing the right thing. He was sure that Snape had offered his help, but the blond-haired Slytherin would be unsure of the Potion Master's loyalties, maybe if Harry vouched for him he would take that help.

"What do you know, Potter. You don't know anything about me."

"I know you're scared. I can see it in your eyes. I know Snape can help. I know you don't trust me, but I don't want to see you or your family hurt."

"You know nothing about my family, so bugger off," Malfoy said as he pushed Harry out of the way and stormed off.

_Oh well, at least I tried,_ he thought, shrugging his shoulder as he went to the Great Hall. He saw Katie sitting at the table and went to talk to her. "Hey Katie, I was wondering if, ummm, you, ahhh, wanted to go with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow. I hear there are some, uhhh... sales in the clothes stores. Maybe you can go, ummm, with me and we can check them out and maybe, ahhh, get a butterbeer after," he said clumsily, not used to asking girls out. After his disaster date with Cho, he wasn't comfortable around girls yet. It was one thing to study and talk after Quidditch, but a complete other to ask for a date.

Katie giggled, she had wondered when he was going to get up his Gryffindor courage and ask. "Of course, Harry, I would love to go with you. We can leave around nine. Okay?" she asked, blushing like crazy.

"Yeah, yeah that'd be good," he stammered. Then turned the topic to more mundane things like what they were hoping to get for Yule.

The next morning the two met up, both in their best casual clothes, hair styled as best they could. They went to the village and did go to the sales. Katie bought some new robes. They then went to the Three Broomsticks they had some butterbeer and fish and chips, which Harry did pay for. They held hands under the table, not wanting people to talk about them. They were both blushing and stammering out a conversation. Harry snuck a kiss to her cheek, causing them both to relax a little and the banter was easier after that. They talked about what they wanted to do after graduation.

Then Harry brought up a subject he felt needed, so that she knew he understood what she went through earlier this year. "I'm sorry about what happened to you last October. I'm just glad we got to you in time. Do you remember what happened?" he asked, hoping that it didn't ruin the date by asking something too personal. He figured that it was something they could bond over.

"No, I went to the bathroom and the next thing I remember was waking up at St. Mungo's," she said, her face grave. She knew Harry would understand after all the times it was rumored that he almost died. "I never did thank you. They told me you were the one to find me and get me help," she said, her face in a combination of wonder and embarrassment.

"I'm just glad I could help," he said as a blush stole across his face. He had been a little put out at the time that she never approached him, but now that he was thinking of dating her seriously he could forgive it. The conversation turned to less serious things and soon enough it was time to go back.

Still holding hands, whenever they noticed they were alone, the two went back to the castle and this time when Harry kissed her it was on the lips, both acting like the schoolchildren they were. They made plans to have one more date during the break and Harry left with a spring in his step, practically bouncing all the way back to his dorm room. That kiss was so much better than his first one and he couldn't help but be happy.

He still had Dobby and Winky sorting through the room of junk. He had written a letter to Spearhead about Godric's Hollow and was waiting for a reply. He was trying to think of a way that he could spy on Voldemort now that he wasn't getting visions. Maybe he could use Kreacher, he knew Bellatrix's magic signature. If Kreacher could still find her then he could find out where Voldemort was.

With this in mind he went to the Room of Requirements the next afternoon and called the old house elf to him. "Kreacher, I know you're doing a good job in protecting the House of Black," Harry said still trying to form a bond with this elf. "I was wondering, since Bellatrix was no longer part of the House can you still find her?" he asked hopefully.

"Kreacher can still be finding Mistress Bellatrix, Master," The old house elf answered, there was no glare this time and his demeanor was something close to a normal elf.

"That is great. I need you to spy on her as much as possible. Remember you can't speak to her. I need to know where Voldemort is hiding. If you can find out and maybe hear some of their plans that would go a long way in protecting the House of Black," Harry said, playing on Kreacher's loyalties.

"Kreacher can be doing what Master says. Kreacher will come to Master and tell him all he is hearing. Kreacher will be finding were Voldemort is hiding," the old house elf said with a bow.

Harry noticed that Kreacher was not calling him vile names anymore and this was a good sign that Kreacher wouldn't turn on him. He was taking a big chance in doing this. "Good. I know you'll do your best. Come and tell me what's going on at night when all my dorm mates are asleep. Unless it is vital that I know right away," he stated firmly, if Kreacher came at night then Harry could pass it off as visions.

Kreacher bowed again and popped away.

Harry called Winky. "Winky, I need you to look after Grimmauld Place, when you are not sorting through the junk. Kreacher is on a mission for me and won't have time to do both. Now that the house is clean it shouldn't take much of your time. Just watch out for the Order, right now I think the Weasleys are staying there."

"Winky will be looking after Harry Potter's house. Winky will be doing this on the days Harry Potter is using the Come and Go room," Winky said decisively with a nod of her large head. The two younger elves were getting less excitable the more they were in Harry service. Harry figured that they felt safer and more comfortable with him. "Mrs. Wheezy is being moved back into hers own house after the holidays. There will be being no one staying in Harry Potter's house." With that conclusion she popped away.

The rest of the days before Yule were spent dividing his time in the Room of Requirements and being seen by those in the castle. He had made great headway on the books he found in the chamber, but they didn't shed any light on the soul anchors. Harry was pretty disappointed in that.

Yule Day, he was greeted with a pile of presents. He got candy from Ron and a book of defense from Hermione. Neville also sent him a book on defensive plants. Luna sent him a necklace made of shiny beads with a note that it would keep the nargles away; he put it on because it was nice. He got a package from the rest of the Weasleys that had his yearly Yule jumper, some fudge and a package from the twins of their new jokes. He also received some cards and small gifts from fans that he answered immediately with a simple note of thanks and wishing them a Happy Yule. Except the one from Katie he made sure to send some candy as thanks**. **

By the time the holiday was almost over he was pretty bored. Katie was busy studying in classes he didn't have and hanging out with her friends. He had done all of his homework in the library. He had gone through all the books and trunks found in the Room of Hidden Things and from the Chamber of Secrets, though Dobby was bringing more each week.

Most of what he found was sent to his family vault to be looked over later. The books that Dobby found was mostly schoolbooks that were either really out of date or ones he already had. So, he sent them to the school library. He kept some of the really old ones and was studying them for spells long forgotten. That and they were pretty valuable.

He had cornered Snape during the last few days of the break. "Professor, I was wondering, how much would a basilisk be worth?"

"Where, Mr. Potter, would you find a basilisk?" Snape inquired with a disbelieving raise of a dark eyebrow. A basilisk was worth a lot of money.

"I killed one in my second year, in the Chamber of Secrets and since I killed it, it is mine to sell. I was hoping that you would know how to render into potions ingredients and where I could sell it. I can get you into the Chamber if you want. I just don't want Dumbledore to know about it." Harry was hoping that the lure of going to the Chamber would keep the Potion Master from telling his secret.

"You can take me there? I tell you what, Mr. Potter, you take me, give me a share of the basilisk and I will help you and keep your secrets," Snape bargained cunningly, he was a Slytherin after all. He didn't feel the need to tell Dumbledore about this, it didn't have anything to do with the war.

"Deal," They shook on it.

The next day, Harry took Snape to the Chamber sometime after lunch. He hoped they would be done before dinner, so no one would miss them. To say Snape was intrigued was an understatement. He expressed his disbelief that Harry had killed the snake. Harry didn't care if he believed him or not as long as he kept his secrets. They rendered the snake down and put the portions into boxes, bags and vials and then they left the Chamber. Snape didn't have the time to look around at more than the main chamber. Harry was glad of that.

The teen was quite surprised that Voldemort hadn't done anything big for Yule. From what Kreacher told him Voldemort was looking for something and had most of his Death Eaters out on the search. Harry thought it maybe a soul anchor that Voldemort found was missing, though he didn't know which one. If Voldemort knew that they were missing he might make more. Harry didn't know how many times one could split their soul. Maybe he should talk to Dumbledore about this after all. He really didn't like that idea, but Dumbledore knew more than he did, after all the man was 115 years old. He would think about it.

He now was standing on the steps of the castle waiting for the carriages. When they came into view he looked for his friends. Harry couldn't wait to see them; hoping Hermione got her head on straight. He really didn't want to end their friendship, he had no idea what got into her this year, but she was moody and bitchy and he didn't think he should have to put up with that. She didn't put up with him when he went off on them last year. She made her position on his grumpiness very clear every chance she got. But, she did help him get over it; so maybe, he'd ask her what was up. If he can help he would.

He spotted his friends and went to them. Hermione gave him a thoughtful look and Harry felt maybe, there was something to save. He gave the girls a hug and back slapped the boys; they all went to the Great Hall for the return dinner, talking about nothing important.

**Hphphp**

_I'm not bashing Hermione, this is how I saw her in the books and if she was my friend our friendship would have been in dire straits. So, no, it is not bashing in my eyes. Who knows maybe she'll learn. _


	15. Revealing Tom

**Chapter 15: Revealing Tom**

_I added a few scenes, deleted a few and rearranged paragraphs. I can't believe how sloppy this was. Revised 1/5/16_

_Thanks again for your support. Ffn still isn't letting me answer reviews, but I'd like to hear from you on my progress, so I know people are reading it. I'll keep trying. That poll is still up on my profile as of this date._

**Hphphp **

Later that night after the feast, Harry and his friends swapped stories about what they did for the holidays.

"Mum was right cuffed you didn't come," Ron said as he sat in one of the chairs in the common room.

"Yeah, but I got done what I needed to," Harry replied as he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position.

"What did you need to get done?" Hermione asked, sitting closer to her boyfriend.

"I'll tell you about it later," the dark-haired teen waved her off, making her huff. "Tell me about your holiday."

"Well, I spent most of my time with my parents. They wouldn't let me go anywhere. They said that I don't spend enough time at home," she replied and then told of all her relatives that came for Christmas and the parties that the Grangers had thrown.

The three talked about their gifts, but the feast had tired them out, so soon they all went to bed in good mood. It was around 11 p.m. when Kreacher woke Harry up from his nap to let him know that there was an attack planned on a village that had both muggles and muggle-born wizards.

Harry immediately sprang from his bed and got dressed. He quickly went through the empty halls to Dumbledore's office. Standing in front of the gargoyle, he tried to name candy after candy, which the headmaster was prone to use, so it would let him up. Finally he got tired of that and yelled, "I need to see the Headmaster. It is an emergency!"

The gargoyle moved out of the way.

When he got to the office, the room was empty. "Headmaster?" he called, looking around the room, not seeing anywhere the old man could be. He glanced over and spotted Fawkes. "Hey, Fawkes, do you think you can find the Headmaster for me, please? It's very important," he asked, a note of desperation in his tone.

The phoenix eyed him for a moment, chirped and disappeared in a ball of flame.

Harry waited nervously, twisting his hands and hoping he was on time to save people's lives.

Finally, Dumbledore appeared through a door at the back of the office, still wearing his nightshirt, which was actually not as colorful as his daily robes. "Harry, my boy, what could possibly bring you here at this hour?" he asked as he sat in his desk chair and waved Harry forward. "It is well after curfew and you should not be wandering around. I, myself, was just settling down for the evening."

"Sorry, Professor, I had a vision. There's going to be an attack soon. I thought you should know right away. I know this was not a vision sent by Voldemort. I saw it from his point of view and not as someone else's," he rushed with his explanation and hurried on. "The attack is on a town call Port Meyer. He's sending fifteen of his Death Eaters and one of them is Bellatrix. They'll be attacking around midnight tonight. I didn't see Snape in the vision, so I don't think he was called," the teen said as he leaned on the desk, hands planted and face showing just how frightened he was.

"Harry, I thought you were practicing your _Occlumency_," Dumbledore said with that disappointed look. "I will take care of this, young man. You go back to bed."

"I'm practicing my _Occlumency_, but sometimes the dreams come through anyway. This is the first one I have had since Sirius died," Harry defended himself, miffed because he was practicing every night. He was sure he could keep Dumbledore, Snape and Voldemort out of his mind. "Besides, shouldn't you be more worried about this attack than my dreams. If you really feel the need to reprimand me then do it when everyone is safe," he snapped, angry that the old man continued to talk down to him.

"It is good to hear that you are practicing, my boy. However, you should not speak to me in that way, I will discuss this with you on a later date, for you are correct and I need to call the Order. Now off to bed with you," Dumbledore said and shooed him out the door. He sent out a _Patronus_ charm to Remus, telling him to gather the Order and then turned back to the teen standing in front of his desk. He lifted an eyebrow.

With one more huff, Harry left the room. He was feeling quite put out that he was being treated as a child. He was mollified knowing that the old man would call the Order to stop the attack. He went back to the tower and back to bed with a clear mind. He still had an hour before he went to the ROR, but he was too worried to sleep, so he took out a book and read until then.

The next morning the post came and with it the paper. There was no news of the attack in the Daily Prophet, so Harry was sure that the Order stopped it before it started —making him feel loads better. He still felt that he needed to kill Voldemort quickly and find the rest of his soul anchors since he couldn't find a spell to reunite them and time was running out.

Dobby had told him that the curse on the DADA was broken and that they had found one other soul anchor in the junk from the Room of Hidden Things. That was good news. So far the cup, the locket and the diadem were cleansed by the goblin mystics and the one in Harry's scar. That was four that he knew of. And if he had to guess, he reckoned that the diary from his second year was one also. That made five. _How many did Voldemort make? Was the man insane? How many times can a person split their soul and stay sane? (_He didn't know about the ring being destroyed by Dumbledore.)

After the classes started up again, Harry got a note from the Headmaster. _"Please come to my office after dinner for those lessons we spoke about. I find I am quite liking ice mice this month." _It read and Harry sulked that he hadn't guessed that candy.

So after dinner the teen went to the headmaster's office. On the desk he saw Dumbledore's pensieve. "Are we going to be viewing memories, sir?" he asked as he approached the desk, a questioning look on his face.

"Very good, Harry. Now, these memories are from people who knew Voldemort or his family. They will let us see how Voldemort thinks and what he did in his youth," Dumbledore answered as if he were speaking of something very vital.

Harry noticed Dumbledore's blackened hand for the first time. _How the bloody hell did he hide that from the students?_ he wanted to know, so he asked, "Sir, what happened to your hand? Are you going to be okay?" concern floating across his face. Just because he didn't trust Dumbledore completely didn't mean he wanted him dead.

"Alas, I came across a curse this summer. No need to worry, my boy, I will be just fine. Professor Snape has guaranteed me that he has stopped the curse from spreading," the Headmaster assured him, cursing himself for not putting the glamor on his hand that he had used most of the time when around people.

That done, they got down to business, one of the memories they viewed was Dumbledore telling a very young Tom Riddle that he was a wizard.

Harry could see that Tom was inclined to be malicious even at that young age and that saddened him. He never wanted to think that a child could be evil, but then again look at Dudley. Though, Harry believed that was nurture and not nature, maybe it was that way with Riddle. The memories really didn't show how he was treated in the orphanage. They only showed what Dumbledore saw.

After that they viewed a memory of a Ministry worker that had gone to a family named Gaunt. The Ministry worker was trying to reason with the father and son about baiting muggles. In it Harry saw the daughter longing after a man on a horse. He figured this was Voldemort's family and the muggle on the horse was his father.

After discussing the memories, Dumbledore sent Harry away. The 'lessons' didn't tell Harry much, though he did think he had caught a glimpse of the ring that was now adorning Dumbledore's blackened hand. He wondered if that was what had cursed the Headmaster. He didn't want to ask because he figured that Dumbledore wouldn't tell him anyway. He went back to the tower and met up with his friends.

The dark-haired teen thumped down in a chair and slouched. Still put out that these 'lessons' were not something he could use. He really didn't understand how this could help him with the war.

"So what were the lessons? Is he teaching you how to fight Vol… Voldemort?" Ron asked, still stuttering over the name. He looked at Harry's grumpy face and concluded that they weren't, but he was hopeful that they were something important.

"No, he isn't teaching me to fight. We just went through some old memories," Harry answered truthfully, running a tired hand down his face.

He still hadn't told his friends that he was learning to fight all on his own. He felt they were drawing apart, slowly. He did wonder if he let them know what he had been doing, would it bring them closer. Then he thought if that was what he wanted. There had to be a reason why they were drawing apart in the first place. He'd think about it, but until they could protect their minds that will not happen.

He had brought up _Occlumency_ to them before, but Ron just brushed him off and Hermione couldn't seem to get her mind to slow down long enough to clear it. He didn't know if they were still practicing or not.

"Well that doesn't sound like much help," Ron said with disappointment, bringing Harry from his thoughts.

"It may help, Ron. Dumbledore wouldn't waste Harry's time with something that wouldn't help him," Hermione argued, never one to put down the Headmaster. Her need to look up to all people in authority was a bit overwhelming at times.

"I did notice that Dumbledore has a cursed hand," the dark-haired teen said, hoping to stave off an argument. "It's all shriveled up and black. He told me that Snape has stopped the curse and that he would be okay. I hope he wasn't lying, but with the old man it's hard to tell," he said casually, not wanting to alarm them too much, but felt this was something he could share.

"Oh, I wonder why we didn't notice before. He must have hidden it really well," Hermione stated a little put out that she seemed to be unobservant this year. First the house and now Dumbledore, maybe she was spending too much time with Ron. With a determined look on her face, she decided that she needed to start paying better attention to the world around her. She gave a quick glace to her boyfriend and then turned to Harry. "You shouldn't call the Headmaster a liar, Harry, he is a great man."

_And this is one of the reasons we're drawing apart_, Harry thought, sadness filled his mind. It was like she hadn't listened to him at all. "I'm just making an observation, Hermione," he defended himself.

"Still, you shouldn't put him down like that. He cares for you. I, for one, think we need to pay better attention to him. If he feels that these 'lessons' will be beneficial than you should listen," she huffed, folding her arms defensively. "I cannot believe we missed the fact that he is hurt," she said, still stewing over that her lack of observation.

Harry rolled his eyes and turned his head away.

"Well, you can't see and know everything, Hermione. I mean, I know you are good and all, but really you can't know everything. Besides, I think that Dumbledore would've hidden it really well. He wouldn't want the students to see he could get hurt," Ron said, trying to appease her. He knew how Hermione thought and didn't want to give up his snogging time.

"Honestly, Ron, I know that. I am just surprised that we didn't catch on sooner," Hermione answered, not the least soothed by his words.

"Come on, Hermione, don't be like that. I want to spend time with you," he answered, scooting over closer to her and putting his arm around her shoulders, attempting to sooth her ruffled feathers.

Harry left them to argue, he thought that once they started dating that they would stop. This was not the case. Maybe it was foreplay to them.

The next day he finally received a letter from Spearhead, via Dobby, about Godric's Hollow.

**Mr. Potter-Black**

**I hope this missive finds you well. As to your inquiries about the house in Godric's Hollow, it is my duty to inform you that the recent survey on the house shows that it is inhabitable. You wanted to know if your house elves could do the repairs. To this, I have to inform you that it will take more than that to make the house livable. **

**We at Gringotts can hire human contractors for you to have the house rebuilt to what it once was. We offer human contractors for this because Godric's Hallow is a mixed village and goblins would be noticed. **

**It is also my duty to inform you that the house was sealed and used as a monument by the Ministry of Magic. I have researched this in great detail and wanted to let you know that they had no right. I would like to inquire if you wanted me or a representative of Gringotts to inform them of their mistake or would you prefer to do this yourself. **

**I await your instructions on these matters. **

**Spearhead: Potter Account Manager**

Harry wrote him back:

**Spearhead**

**I hope this letter finds you well. Thank you for replying to my inquiry. If you could hire the contractors, I'd be grateful. Please, let me know when they are finished to I can send my house elves to the vaults to see if any of the furnishing in there would be useable in the house.**

**I will write the Ministry myself, but thanks for the offer. **

**Harry Potter**

He sent that off with Dobby and then wrote a letter to the Ministry:

**To Whom It May Concern**

**It has been brought to my attention that the Ministry claimed property that is owned by myself and used it as a monument for the first downfall of Voldemort. Since it is my property, I find that this is unacceptable and **_**demand**_** that it be released back into my custody immediately. I will be using this house in the future as it is the last house that was owned by my parents. **

**You may take the plaque that is in front of the house and place it next to the statue of my parents, which I am told is in the middle of the village, so that others may view it. **

**Harry Potter**

He hoped this will work; he really wanted to live in his parents' house and not Grimmauld Place. He'd sent it off in the morning. Hedwig needed the exercise and she was still pissed at him for not using her.

Dobby and Winky were still going through the Room of Hidden Things and they were still having fun doing it. They were taking anything they found of value and see if it could be sold. The proceeds were then put into an account in Gringotts to be donated to the school after the war. Well, the things he didn't keep anyway and those he put money aside for.

The books that Harry had already studied he left on the desk of Madam Pince, after the library was closed. There were a lot of books and he figured she would know better than him if they would be useful in the library or needed to be put in the restricted section. He'd keep doing this until he either ran out of books or left Hogwarts. When he left, he'd send them to her, via post as an anonymous alumnus.

A week after Christmas break, Ron asked him if he had gone to the Chamber of Secrets and about his date. "Hey, mate, did you get down to the Chamber over break?" the redhead asked as they were playing a game of wizard chess. He still beat Harry nine times out of ten, but, hey, it was progress.

Harry quickly cast a _Muffliato_ and replied. "Yeah, there really wasn't much there, just some old books. It looks like Voldemort took all the Dark ones. I did find a statue that looked to be cursed. I had Kreacher come and get it to give to Bill to see if he could take the curse off," he lied, his friends still didn't know about Dobby and Winky. "If it's the curse to the DADA, then maybe we can have a good professor more than one year." He shrugged took down the spell and continued the game.

He didn't tell Ron that he took Snape down there and that the basilisk was rendered down and was being sold. His mate didn't need to know that Snape said he could get 500,000 galleons for it; it would just spark his jealousy. The dark-haired teen really didn't feel as bad for keeping secrets anymore and while he was still friends with Ron and Hermione, they weren't the best friends they used to be. However, in the time of war, it wouldn't do to divide the side you're fighting with over teenage drama. No, he'd keep his secrets to himself.

"Why didn't you wait until Snape was no longer teaching? Now we may have to put up with the greasy git next year as well," Ron said, leaning back in his chair with a pout, sounding pretty cuffed.

"You have to admit he is a better teacher with DADA than he was with Potions. I know some people are catching up with our year finally," Harry answered with a shrug and made his next move.

"Yeah, I'll give him that. Most of the class seems to be catching up with us and we might start learning something new," the redhead answered, still upset that Snape might just last. "So," he said slyly, "How'd it go with Katie?"

Harry blushed. "Ummm, it went pretty good actually. We went to Hogsmeade twice and had some butterbeer and lunch. Nothing too special," he said, running his hands through his hair nervously, playing down the kissing part, he wouldn't kiss and tell. He and Katie had a really good time and had a couple of snogging sessions that his mate didn't need to know about. "Ron, you can't tell anyone. I told Katie that as well, she seemed to take it okay, but since I'm still a hunted man I can't put her in danger like that," he warned, after re-erecting the _Muffliato_.

Ron gave him a wink. "Sure, nothing _too_ special, huh? It's okay Harry, I'm just glad you're getting out again. Don't worry my lips are sealed. I don't kiss and tell either, you know. The only reason anyone knows about Hermione is because I slipped on the train. You know how I am," he said, not realizing that was why Harry was worried. Ron put Harry into checkmate and with that they took down the silence spell, put away the game and went to dinner.

The weeks flew by with learning, clearing out the RoHT and playing Quidditch. With Kreacher's spying they stopped two more attacks; Harry passed these off as visions. Kreacher felt he was getting closer to know where Voldemort was hiding. They did find out that Voldemort was looking for the cup, thinking that Harry wouldn't know what it was and he might have sold it. So Tom was setting his Death Eaters to find it or to try and get into Gringotts to retrieve it, cursing the fact they had tighten security since his break in years ago.

One Saturday, about a month after Christmas, there was a headline in the Daily Prophet.

**Death Eaters found at the Ministry**

The article stated that Minister Fudge, while working with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, found no fewer than fifteen Death Eaters and Voldemort sympathizers working for the Ministry. They were all tried and sent to Azkaban. There was a quote from Minister Fudge thanking Harry for bringing this to the Ministry's attention and that he hoped they would be able to work together to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The Minister wanted everyone to know that the Ministry was putting more humans at Azkaban, so that it would be less likely that there would be a break out. He also told the public that he had talked to the Dementors and that they had come to an agreement and now they were sure that the soul suckers would stay at Azkaban.

Harry felt it was about time and that this needed an answer, so he wrote to the Daily Prophet again.

_**Dear Ministry and Minister Fudge**_

_**I cannot tell you how glad I am to see that the Ministry is looking out for the people. I will now back the Ministry 100%. I feel you have done what needed to be done to protect the public. I feel that we can now work together to defeat Voldemort. **_

_**Yes, I said Voldemort as I have in the past and will in the future. To fear a name is ridiculous and we should say this name with the distain that it deserves. I mean really, if you look the name up it means 'flight from death' or something like that. If you feel you can't then call him Tom. **_

_**To put it in perspective, I want everyone to know that Voldemort is just another wizard. His birth name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was the son of a wealthy muggle, Tom Riddle Senior and witch Merope Gaunt. **_

_**That is right he is a **_half-blood_**. So much for his doctrine of pure-blood rights. **_

_**He attended Hogwarts and was Head Boy. He received an engraved trophy for Special Services to the School for falsely accusing Rubeus Hagrid of opening the Chamber of Secret, after a Ravenclaw student (who you know as Moaning Myrtle) was killed in a girl's bathroom. It was he that opened it and set the basilisk on the school, fifty years ago. So he accused Hagrid since, he didn't want to return to the muggle orphanage where he was being raised —if the school closed. **_

_**He is just a man who is smart and, yes, powerful. You can do your own research and find that what I am stating is fact. **_

_**His followers are just men also. If you look at it from that angle, they are all just humans who can be defeated like anyone else. They may be strong, yes, but you are plenty and it is shown in history that the many will always win over the few. **_

_**During the last war the people didn't come together and that is why you were losing so badly. The muggles have a saying similar to what the Sorting Hat has tried to tell us during times of war. That saying is '**_**United we stand, divided we fall'**_** take this to heart and join with your neighbors. **_

_**I feel that wizarding Britain is too smart to let this one man make it cower in fear. If enough of us stand up and fight that we can win. I want the public to do what they can to protect themselves and their family. I know this is a lot to ask and that I have asked this before, but I do feel strongly about it. So get your house warded, brush up on your jinxes and curses or go on vacation if you feel you cannot help. If you know anyone who is alone, unprotected or in the muggle world, I beg you to invite them to join you in your home then you will have a few more wands if you need them. **_

_**I have faith that Minister Fudge will beef up the DMLE and do what he can to protect the public. **_

_**I just want to say thanks to all of you who supported me in the past and I hope we can look to a bright future together. **_

_**Harry Potter**_

He would send this off in the morning after breakfast.

On Monday the article was printed and once again Harry was in the spotlight. The next morning the post started again. Most of the post was from wizards and witches that wanted to protect their families and thanked Harry to helping to clean up the Ministry. They were also showing support for the Ministry and that was what Harry wanted. If he could take the spotlight off him and put it on the Ministry than that worked for his plans. The more people tried to protect themselves the fewer people he had to worry about protecting. Some even told him they took him up on his suggestion to join with their neighbors and a lot were sharing a home until this crisis was over.

He answered the letters with a form letter:

_**Dear (insert name here)**_

_**Thank you for your show of support to the Ministry. I'm happy that they now have the backing of people like you. I'd like to encourage you to write to them and show them that you believe in what they are doing. I'd also like to encourage you to protect yourself and your family. Like I have stated before, this is the most important thing you can do at this time. **_

_**Once again, I'd like to state that I'll do all I can to end this war. I'm sure the Ministry will do what they can as well. As long as we all work together then we will remain strong. **_

_**Thanks again**_

_**Harry Potter. **_

He would send them out on his free period. There were so few letters berating him that he felt he could ignore them, they wouldn't listen no matter what he wrote. He did send a letter to the Minister.

_**Dear Minister Fudge**_

_**I'd like to thank you for cleaning up the Ministry and I'll back you 100% now that you are doing what you can for us to work together. My letters to the Prophet support this. **_

_**I was wondering if there is anything you needed from me to show my support. I'll do what I can to put on a good public face for you. If you need something more than what I'm already doing then let me know. I have answered all my letters to let them know we stand together. **_

_**I'd also like to compliment you for strengthening security at Azkaban; it is good to know that we will not have to worry about Dementors feeding on the public. **_

_**With my many thanks**_

_**Harry Potter**_

That should keep that idiot happy.


	16. Confrontations with Two Old Men

**Chapter 16: Confrontations with Two Old Men**

_This chapter had a major over haul. I deleted any of the not Harry POV's since the previous chapters were all from one POV. I hope I made them flow well enough to convey what was happening outside Harry's sight. _

_Thanks again for your support, I am now able to answer reviews. _

**Hphphp**

The end of January came and with it heartache, Katie had broken up with Harry. "I don't think we should see each other anymore," she stated, arms folded and toe tapping. She looked at the boy in front of her and felt bad for doing this, but she really didn't like where the relationship was going. She played Quidditch to be in the spotlight and hiding in empty classroom wasn't what she wanted, so she firmed her resolve and stared at him.

"What?" he said flabbergasted. They had just gone off for a snogging session, so to say Harry was surprise was an understatement. He had thought things were going really well, yeah they didn't have much to talk about, but he liked her.

"I don't like that we are hiding our relationship. It makes me think that you are ashamed of me," she stated firmly.

"What? No. How could you think that? Wait a minute," he glared, "I explained that to you. You know that Voldemort is hunting me and if he knew about us, he'd be after you too," the dark-haired teen all but snapped, stung from his first breakup. He just didn't understand where this was coming from.

"I don't know that," she argued. "All I know is that you don't want to be seen with me in public. There haven't been any moves that would make me think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is still trying to kill you." It had been a quiet year, no monsters or convicted killers. No teachers that were trying to kill the dark-haired teen. For all she knew that part of the war was over and he was simply being paranoid.

"Do you really feel that way? I thought you knew me better than that," a remorseful Harry said as he looked at his feet, his stomach dropping with each of her words.

"Look, Harry, you're a great guy and one hell of a kisser, but I can't live in the shadows. I want to be able to tell my friends what a good boyfriend you are," she said softy and put her hand on his cheek, lifting his head so he would look at her. She felt bad when she saw those lovely green eyes filled with tears, but it couldn't be helped.

"I understand," he sighed, looking into her determined eyes. And he really did, it couldn't be pleasant for her to hide all the time. He'd miss the snogging, but other than Quidditch, they really didn't have much in common. Still, he couldn't help but tear up at what was happening.

"You'll make some lucky girl really happy," she said, kissing him on the cheek and then twirling around she left him sulking in the hidden classroom they used to make out.

Harry pouted for about a week, until Ron snapped him out of it by taking him flying and telling him that there were more birds than just Katie. He pointed out all the pretty girls and soon enough Harry was better and giving glances to the Slytherin that he admired. From the looks he was getting back, she was interested, but then she'd cut looks around her House table and sigh. Harry felt that if there was one girl in all of Hogwarts that wouldn't mind sneaking around it would be her, but he'd have to play it slick.

Hermione berated him for trying to chat up someone so soon after his breakup, but he told her to bugger off. It was his own business who he dated and he didn't need her to hold his hand. Yeah, it had only been a week, but he was a teenage boy.

Dumbledore and Harry were still looking through the old memories. Harry knew that Voldemort had killed his father and grandparents and then framed his uncle and that he worked for Borgin and Burkes buying old trinkets and such. He saw that the things Voldemort was asking about were some of the things that had been soul anchors. Harry was waiting to see what this was all about before he spilled his secrets.

A month after, when he had had time to think about it, he remembered the locket on Merope and then remembered he had seen it at Grimmuald place and it was the one that Kreacher had hidden. So, he called Kreacher to him. "Kreacher, you know that locket you were keeping in your room?" he asked and waited for the nod, then continued. "Well it was full of Dark magic; I think that is what was making you so unstable. Can you tell me where you got it, please?" Harry asked, kneeling down to the elf's height.

"Master Regulus is telling Kreacher that the locket is being full of Dark magic and that it is needing to be destroyed. Kreacher is trying very, very hard to destroy the locket. When Master Harry is taking the locket to be taking to his curse breakers, Kreacher is hoping that Master Regulus's dying command is being done," Kreacher wailed, falling into a deep bow.

Harry knew Regulus was Sirius's brother, who had joined the Death Eaters. He wondered how he got the locket though, a question for another time, perhaps.

"The goblins cleansed the locket, Kreacher," he said, hoping that the poor elf would take comfort in what he was going to tell him. "There is no more Dark magic on it. I'll be keeping it in my vault 'cause I don't want Voldemort to know I have it."

"Master, has completed Kreacher's task? Kreacher is most happy about this. Can Kreacher have the locket to remember Master Regulus by?" the old elf asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure, Kreacher. When this is all over, I'll try and give these items back to the people they were originally stolen from. I'm not sure who the owner of the locket is. It did belong to the Gaunt family, but I think, except for Voldemort, that family has died out. If the owners will sell it to me or there isn't anyone left, I'll see what I can do. I'm glad that the locket is now clean for your Master Regulus. I'm also glad that you are no longer tainted by its evil," Harry replied, helping the old house elf up, now completely understanding what happened to the poor thing. Well that and that hag that was his mistress.

"Master Regulus was a kind master. Master Harry is just as kind, Kreacher will be working extra hard at finding where the Dark Lord is." And with that Kreacher popped away.

Harry was pretty happy that things worked out for Kreacher. He still didn't trust him completely, sanity didn't come overnight, plus the way he helped get Sirius killed, but this was a big step closer.

The dark-haired teen had pretty much learned all he could from the books he had gathered. He could take his NEWT's right now and pass. He figured the time he had spent behind the timer added up to about four years. Maybe, he would take the tests this summer and then he wouldn't have to come back to Hogwarts next year. But, did he really want to leave his friends behind? He knew he would always have a space in his heart for his first friends and it wasn't like they couldn't visit outside of Hogwarts. He felt bad that they had drawn apart, but maybe it was for the better.

He now spent all his time behind the timer perfecting his fighting and well as his wandless and wordless magic. He was also studying how to _Apparate_. He had the books to study this, but as he couldn't do it inside Hogwarts. He would try this summer to see if he could do it correctly.

He knew Kreacher would find out where Voldemort was eventually and then he would fulfill the prophecy and move on with his life. As luck would have it, Kreacher came to him the following week. "Master, Kreacher has found where the Dark Lord is hiding. Kreacher can take you outside the wards."

"That is great Kreacher. I'll be ready at midnight tonight. Wait, will Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters be there? I don't want to have to fight them if I don't need to." Harry was more than ready to get this over with. He wanted to see if he could sneak in and do it quietly. He was just hoping that he got all the soul anchors and that it would finally be over.

"No, Master, Mistress Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters will be going home tonight. The Dark Lord has them going out on a mission tomorrow. The only Death Eater that will be there is the one you is calling Wormtail," Kreacher answered, glad that he could finally serve his master like the other elves did.

"Okay that is good. Come to my call," Harry said and Kreacher popped away.

At midnight, armed with his wand, map and Invisibility Cloak, he went to the tunnel that led to Honeydukes and called Kreacher to him. "Take me to Voldemort," he said, steeling his nerves to what he was about to do.

Kreacher popped them to the outside of the wards.

Harry looked at the dilapidated old house; it was dark and foreboding, about three stories tall. You could tell, if you squinted hard enough, that it had been a grand manor at one time. _This must be his father's house. I wonder if this is where he killed him. _Shaking off his thoughts, the teen put on his Invisibility Cloak, created the tunnel through the wards and snuck into the house. There was no one in his way, like Kreacher said the place was deserted. Voldemort must have great faith in himself if he didn't even have guards.

Harry crept around the house's ground floor until he heard hissing, being as quiet as he could he edged closer. He was scared and felt guilty, but he continued on with his plan. He arrived at a set of French doors and stayed by the wall, only taking a quick look through the window on the door to see what was going on inside the room.

Voldemort was pacing in the main living room talking to his snake Nagini. _"They must find that cup. I am sure that Potter brat doesn't know what it is. We need to find a way to get into his vault, but the goblins have increased their security. All will be lost if that old fool finds out what I did. He must not know. I cannot believe that that Potter brat told the public who I am. The nerve of that little half-blood. I am sure I saw some of my Death Eaters looking at me like they believed him," _He hissed in anger as he paced around the room, his robes flying as he made quick angry turns.

Harry felt pretty smug that he was right. He stayed outside the room so Nagini wouldn't sense him. He really didn't want to fight the snake, but he would if he had to. He edged closer to the door and continued to listen.

"_Calm, Master, your secrets are safe. You are a great wizard and no one will defeat you. You should not worry about that young hatchling. You are far more powerful than he is," _Nagini hissed as she slithered up Voldemort's side, trying to reassure her master.

"_Of course you are right, my pet. You should go and get your evening meal. You have listened to me long enough," Voldemort_ said, stopping long enough to stroke the snake's back. He still felt that without his horcruxes he was in danger of being killed and Death was not a friend of his.

The snake disappeared through a hole in the wall.

Harry noticed that his scar didn't hurt him and came to the conclusion that is why Voldemort didn't know he was there. He snuck up on the now sitting snake faced man, still under his cloak, and cast a _Stupefy_ on him and put him in a body bind. Shaking like a leaf, he raised his hand once again and cast the _Sectumsempra_ on the pale neck, removing the head and the top half of the throne like chair. He was completely silent, not wanting Wormtail to come running if he heard, though the thought of taking out that man did run through his mind.

He stood for a minute and looked at the disembodied head and then he ran to the edge of the wards and had Kreacher bring him back to the school. He told Kreacher to go back and watch to see what would happen when Voldemort's body was found.

He checked the map and seeing the coast was clear he went back to his dorm. He put his cloak and map away and went to clean up. He had a feeling though that this was not over, a shiver in his bones that told him the prophecy was still in play. He was positive that Voldemort had not seen him and wouldn't know who had killed him, but if he had not gotten all the soul anchors then that rat bastard would try and rise again and more than likely hide behind stronger wards.

With these dark thoughts Harry went to bed and tried to sleep.

Kreacher came to him a few hours later. "Master, more has happened that you should be aware of. Kreacher was hidden in the shadows when Wormtail came looking for his master, there was a spirit in the room, it must have been the Dark Lord's."

"What happened next, Kreacher," Harry asked not liking this one bit.

"The cowardly man said, 'Master, what happened?' and then the Dark Lord replied, 'Wormtail, my sneaky friend, open your mind to mine that I may grant you power you will never get on your own. Let you Master guide you and we will rule together and when I create a new body, you will rule by my side.' Then the Wormtail is being holding his arms out to his master and let him possess him. Kreacher is most sorry, Master, there was nothing I's could do," the old house elf said, dropping his head and waiting for punishment.

"Kreacher, you did nothing wrong," the dark-haired teen stated, lifting Kreacher's head and smiled. "You did just what you were supposed to do."

"Kreacher will still watch the Dark Lord," and with that popped away.

Harry was very worried and pissed that the job wasn't over. This would be like his fourth year and Voldemort would hunt him harder than before so he could get back his body. He was sure that slimy snake would retrieve the bones of his father before Harry could. Now that he knew that the Dark Lord wasn't dead, he knew that there was more soul anchors still out there. He just didn't know what they were. He hoped that the memories that he and Dumbledore were watching would shed light on this. He was just wondering why they were taking so long to go through them.

The next day there was no news in the Daily Prophet about Voldemort's death so Harry figured that the Death Eaters were covering it up. From what Kreacher told him, Snape hadn't been called in a while, so he didn't know if Dumbledore knew.

The two men, headmaster and student, continued the lessons until they finally came across the one that explained the soul anchors. In it showed young Tom Riddle speaking with Professor Slughorn. He was asking about _horcruxes_ and Slughorn was vague about his answers. Riddle told Slughorn that he had run across them in a book he found in the Hogwarts library. The memory ended abruptly.

"So that is what they're called," Harry mumbled to himself. He then chastised himself, because he never thought to look in the Hogwarts library; after all it was Dark magic. Who would have figured that it could be found in the Restricted Section?

"What was that, Harry? Did you know what they were talking about?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward to search Harry's face, hoping that the teen didn't know what was being discussed, because then he would have to explain that Harry was one and he wanted him to have a little more childhood before exposing him to that.

Harry figured it was time to come clean about a few things, "Well, sir, there were some pretty Dark things at the Headquarters. I had Kreacher send them to my vault to have the goblins see if they could rid them of the Dark magic. They found what they called soul anchors and had their mystics cleanse them. They also found some in Sirius's vault."

"I didn't know you were in touch with the goblins, Harry," Dumbledore said a little surprised that Spearhead hadn't told him; come to think of it he had not heard from that goblin all year.

"Yes, sir, I talk to them via Kreacher. I wanted to make sure all the Dark objects from Headquarters had the curses removed. They told me about Sirius's will, sir. I'm extremely upset that you kept this from me. You told me that you wouldn't keep any more secrets, this shows that you still are. I have to wonder what else you are hiding," Harry said, looking the old man straight in the eye, showing his major disappointment.

"What did they find, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, skating the will issue. Though he was saddened that Harry would do something without him knowing, however he wasn't too worried. None of Harry's friends were from an Ancient and Noble house, so he would not know that what that required as it was the Head of House's job to teach its Heir. Dumbledore was sure that Harry had not spent enough time with Sirius to learn anything.

The old man didn't know the extent of the Black family holdings. He thought that if they were as vast as they once were that Harry would have more responsibility than the teen was ready for. He was also concerned about other things now that Harry was in touch with the goblins. He would have to worry about that later.

"They found a cup, a locket, and a diadem. I figured with those and the diary makes four found. I don't know how many Voldemort made. I'm thinking that the memory we just watched was supposed to tell us more?" Harry said, leaving out the one in his scar for the moment. He'd let the will thing slide until later.

"That was very good of you, Harry," Dumbledore praised, like that was supposed to balm the hurt. "The memory we just watched was altered. We need to see if we can't find the answer from Horace. We need to know how many Tom was planning on making. I am sure that the answer lies with our returning Potions Master. I hear that you have been going to his little club meetings."

"Yeah, they aren't very fun, but I get to know some more people that I wouldn't associate with otherwise," the teen shrugged. "Do you think he will tell me if I ask him?" he asked, thinking that this is what these 'lessons' were all about.

"I am hoping so, Harry, after all Professor Slughorn is known to treat famous people with more respect than he shows to others. As I am sure you have noticed when you attend his class and parties. I would like for you to inquire about this and see what he has to say," Dumbledore stated, his eyes twinkling as usual.

"I don't understand why you don't ask him, sir. I mean, you're pretty famous too and have been for far longer than me," he said, with a tilt of his head. After all, Dumbledore was the most famous wizard in the world, who better to get on your good side.

"Alas, Professor Slughorn doesn't want me to know," Dumbledore confessed, stroking his beard as if contemplating a great mystery.

"Oh, did he tell you why?" Harry asked, still confused as to why Slughorn wouldn't want to butter up the Headmaster.

"I think he fears what I can do to him should he anger me. I am a big influence in the political arena and he might think that if I knew, then I would use that influence against him. In addition, if there is one thing I know about Horace is that he takes pride in getting in good with influential people. So he does not want to get on my bad side. You, however, are still underage and will not be in a position to hurt him for many years to come. That and I am sure that he will not think that you are a Dark enough wizard to use the information he gives you for evil purposes, unlike Tom," the old man stated, as if it were a deep secret. He leaded forward to see if Harry was going to do what he wished.

"I'll try, sir. If that's all for tonight then I'm going to bed," Harry got up and went to the door.

"Goodnight, Harry," Dumbledore called to him in his usual jovial voice.

"I'm still mad at you, Headmaster," Harry whispered just loud enough to be heard, not turning to face the old man. The hand on the doorknob was white with his angry grip. "I don't like that you are still keeping things from me. Important things. And because of this, I will let you know that I too am keeping my secrets and, no, I'm not telling you, so don't ask and _don't_ try and pry into my mind. I don't like being treated like a child that needs to be coddled. You've lost a lot of my trust. I hope that you don't lose it all in these games you keep playing. I know that this task is more important right now. But, we will be talking about this later," he said still whispering, though you could hear the fury in his voice.

The rebellious teen straightened, twisted the knob and opened the door and left before the old man could say anything to defend himself. "Goodnight, Headmaster," floated in the air and back to the gobsmacked man.

A few weeks later, after DADA Draco stayed behind and Harry, wanting to see if Draco would finally confess, disillusioned himself inside the door and listened. "Professor, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute," Draco said as he stood nervously in front of Snape's desk, shifting minutely, hoping beyond hope that he was doing the right thing.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy?" the DADA professor inquired with a lifting of his eyebrow.

"Well, sir, what I have to say is quite delicate, I was wondering if you could make it so we would not be overheard?" the nervous boy asked.

"Very well," Snape said and cast the _Muffliato_ charm that encompassed the whole area; it was a good thing that Harry had crept closer. "There, now we will not be overheard. Now what was so important that we needed to take such drastic measures?" Snape asked with an arched eyebrow.

He was anticipating that Draco was finally coming to him for help so that he could find out what his mission was. He liked Draco, spoiled as he was, and didn't want to see him bowing at the feet of that snake faced hypocrite. He knew Potter was there, but shrugged it off for now. Maybe, the brat wanted to help his godson.

"First, sir, I need you to give me a vow that you will not repeat anything you hear here, except what I say can be repeated," Draco stated more anxious that before, it was no small thing to ask, but his parents lives depended on what was said and he was not about to take that chance, no matter what Potter said.

Snape thought about it, he already had two vows hanging over his head, however, if what he hoped for was about to happen then he needn't worry about them. "I suggest a compromise. I will make a vow that I will not reveal what is said here, unless it is to help and protect you from harm."

Draco sighed with relief; that was a good compromise. "Very well, Professor, I agree."

Snape took the vow and they got to business. Draco told him of his conversation with Potter and then showed him the letter from his mother and ascertained by the minuscule narrowing of Snape's eyes that the potion master knew nothing about what was going on with the Dark Lord. He told him of his mission to kill the Headmaster, but left out that he was supposed to find a way to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, especially since he hadn't found on.

"I want to thank you for your trust in me today," the silky voice of the professor conveyed. "Potter was correct in sending you my way. I will do my very best to make sure your mother is protected and that no one will learn where she is. If I may take this letter to Dumbledore, he would be most beneficial in helping you secure your family." now he was glad that the brat was paying attention, because if Dumbledore was right and Potter was their savior, then he could only hope that with the conversation that Draco would now be protected.

Draco thought about it for a minute, he really didn't want that barmy old man in his business, but the headmaster did have a lot of political pull, and if rumor was to be believed then he had the resources to help him. He gave his consent with a nod of his head and left the room.

Harry, seeing that the conversation was over, slipped quietly away. When he caught up with his friends, Ron asked where he'd been. He just shrugged it off and said he had to talk to Snape about homework.

The next few days for Harry were uneventful. He did notice that Malfoy was a lot more confident and didn't seem quite as scared. He and his friends did find out that the cabinets were indeed linked to one another. If you put something in one cabinet it appeared in its mate. He was glad he had minimized the cabinet and put it in his truck. As long as it remained shrunken then it couldn't be used. He still didn't know what Malfoy was going to use them for, that didn't come up in the conversation that he had listened to, but he was glad that plan fell through. Reasoning said that Draco was trying to bring something he couldn't just carry into the castle and since Harry was certain it was something Voldemort wanted, it really couldn't be good.

He noticed that Snape was watching him more than usual. He didn't know why, but was happy that the truce was still in play. He didn't want to have to fight the man. Snape was still as mean to him as ever in class, but his homework was getting marked fairly.

There were rumors that Mrs. Malfoy had disappeared and that Dumbledore was hiding her. One of the towers had been closed off and Harry reasoned that that was where she was. He only hoped that she was safe there and that the old man wouldn't use her the way he did Snape.


	17. Months Flew By

**Chapter 17: Months Flew By**

_Another majorly overhauled chapter, I rewrote the whole kissing scene, reorganized a lot of paragraphs, deleted a few scenes, added a few and generally tried to tighten it up. Revised 1/5/16_

_Thanks for the support and remember I'm not using a beta, so all mistakes are my own (plus my sticky keyboard's)._

**Hphphp**

It was now mid-February and Valentine's Day was here. He had Dobby bring a nice emerald necklace, which he knew was in his vault, so he could give them to his girlfriend, Tracey Davis. Harry longed for when they could finally come out as a couple, maybe he could talk her into going into hiding with him this summer. This was the girl of his dreams. She completely understood and didn't complain about anything that had to do with his dangerous life.

That night he attended another party thrown by Professor Slughorn, he didn't have a date, but he got to see his girlfriend. This was where they first met, after all, well except classes. They had chatted a bit in class, but when Tracey started to attend these parties they really got to know each other. He asked her once why she had started coming and she told him Slughorn saw her throw a curse at Malfoy and was impressed enough to invite her here.

These parties were full of young people who were either famous on their own or had famous parents. For some reason they didn't include the likes of Malfoy or other Death Eater children. There were a few Slytherins there that confirmed Harry's opinion that not all Slytherins were evil and trying to take over the world.

Harry hadn't had a chance to talk to Slughorn yet, but felt he would be able too soon as the man seemed to fawn over him, which was creepy in Harry's opinion.

It was the middle of the Saturday after Valentine's Day and the couple snuck off. They were sitting on the other side of the Black Lake, under a large willow that had its branches hanging down, hiding them from view.

"So, what does Daphne think about us?" Harry asked out of nowhere as he held Tracey tight to his chest with one arm, played with her hair with his free hand, just sitting back enjoying the quiet moment. She was currently situated between his legs leaning back on him; her long blonde hair caressed his arm as she moved her head so he could see her sapphire eyes looking up at him.

He knew she had told her best friend. They had been friends since they were very young and there was nothing they kept from each other. He also knew that the Ice Queen didn't really like him, so he was curious as to what she thought.

He hadn't told anyone. Hermione would try and get him to stop; either telling him it was too dangerous for the girl or stating that the girl was too dangerous for him. And Ron, well, Ron couldn't keep him and Katie a secret. He had accidently let it slip when everyone in the dorm was talking about their first kiss, as boys are wont to do. Harry had said his kiss with Cho was wet and then Ron spurted out with 'Bet your kiss with Katie was better'.

The poor girl had been bombarded with questions. She lied and told everyone they never dated. Ron tried to get Harry to back him, but he took Katie's side. So, no, he didn't tell Ron.

"Well," Tracey said, pulling him from his thoughts, "she is okay with it, for the most part. She thinks you're a right prat for not taking me out on a date. I told her why we couldn't, but despite that Ice Queen persona that she shows the men, Daphne is a romantic at heart." She settled back in her former comfortable position. "I, for one, happen to like us just the way we are. No pressure to get married, no one taking the mickey because I'm dating the Boy-Who-Lived. When we leave school, then I expect to be taken out proper," she said decisively, patting the arm that held her.

"I'm really sorry that I can't take you on a proper date," Harry said bashfully, hanging his head, resting his chin on her head, his dark hair covering the top part of his face.

"Harry, you silly boy, we've talked about this. I understand, really, I've seen and heard what you've been through all these years in school. I couldn't ask for a kinder more brave man than you," she said firmly as she turned so she was kneeling in front of him. She then lifted his chin with her finger, making him look her in the eye. "I truly do understand. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. What can I do to make up to you?" she teased a playful look came to her face. Her eyes danced with merriment.

A smirk came across Harry's face, making him look devilish. "Well, we could finally get to snogging. That might make me feel better," he said, smiling at her glittering eyes.

"Is that any way to treat a lady?" she laughed, smacking him on the arm, not really upset. She had been waiting for him to ask for a while. They hadn't gone past cuddling yet. He had reasoned that he moved to fast with Katie and didn't want to spoil what they had by doing the same. She let him set the pace, since she knew he was shy around women.

"Well, no, not really, but I really, really want to kiss you right now. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me in this school. And I want to show you just how much that means to me," he said as he put his arm around her neck and drew her face to his, a happy gleam in his eye.

"Yes, I think I can do that," she said as her face came up to meet his.

The kiss was explosive, Harry felt that if he broke it and looked around, destruction would be what he saw, of course that wasn't so, just what it felt like. They broke apart after a few minutes, breathing heavy.

"Yeah, that proves it to me. You're the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with," Harry declared triumphantly, holding her closer as if to never let her go.

"I think I'll like that," she smiled, hugging him just as tight. "Now kiss me some more, just to make sure, you see." She teased.

"I want to give you something first," he said softly, and then pulled out the emerald necklace and handed it to her.

"Harry, this is expensive," Tracey protested, though her eyes never left the jewel.

"Nothing is too good for you," Harry said, putting the necklace on her neck and followed with a kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"I didn't get you anything," the blonde pouted, fingering the gem.

"Don't worry about it," he said, still kissing her neck. The two sat at the lake the rest of the afternoon, simply enjoying each other's company.

The weeks flew by and with classes, self-study, Quidditch, his girlfriend, the elves, and the stupid parties it wasn't until mid-March Harry finally had his chance to confront Slughorn. Ron had eaten some candy that was given to Harry for Yule by a Gryffindor girl that was a year below him, Romilda Vane. He had stored them in his trunk, because Hermione had warned him that they were laced with a love potion. He had forgotten completely about them, he had meant to get rid of them when the holiday was over. He wouldn't have stored them in his trunk, but he was late for getting to the Great Hall that day.

Harry took Ron to Professor Slughorn to see if there was a potion to counter it. The Potions Professor did have the remedy and Ron was soon right as rain. The professor offered the boys some wine he had taken off Malfoy. "Not supposed to have wine in the dorms," he told the boys, but they declined not feeling comfortable drinking around an older man. The professor shrugged and put the wine away.

"Professor, I've been meaning to ask, I see that you had a picture of Tom Riddle from when he was in school. Was he part of your club?" Harry asked, indicating the picture of the handsome young Slytherin as his mate slept off the counter agent on the couch.

"Ah yes, Tom, yes, he was part of my club. He was head boy you know, yes, a very smart young man. It was too bad he went the way he did. He could have done wonderful things for the wizarding world," Slughorn hedged as he started looking around nervously, hands twisting behind his back, eyes shifting from left to right as if Voldemort would pop up out of nowhere and kill him.

"I was wondering if he ever talked to you about _horcruxes_. He seemed to be looking in to ways to prevent his death even back then," Harry stated as he tilted his head, making it seem as if he was just asking a simple question and not something as Dark as _horcruxes_.

"I don't like talking about those things. Why would he ask me? I know little of the Dark Arts," Slughorn answered vaguely, waving away the question as an inconsequential matter.

"I saw the memory you gave Dumbledore, Professor. I was hoping you could tell me more. I only want to defeat Voldemort. If you have an answer that can help me, that'd be great," Harry pushed, green eyes steadily looking at the anxious man. "I don't want to know how they are made. I just want to know how many Riddle prepared. I think you can help," he said, hoping to appeal to the man's want to be rid of Voldemort.

"I only know that Tom was fascinated with the number seven. He felt it was a powerful number," Slughorn caved, shoulders slumped, he knew this might help him in the future. He also knew that if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named found out, he'd be dead in a minute.

"Thanks, Professor, that helps a lot," Harry said sincerely. "I'll do what I can to find the ones Voldemort made and defeat him once and for all."

"I am glad I could help, my good man. I would like it if you didn't tell anyone we had this conversation," Slughorn requested, hope conveyed in his soft brown eyes.

"No worries, this conversation never happened," Harry lied with a blank face, knowing full well he would be telling Dumbledore. "Now, I'll just wake Ron and get him back to our dorms so he can sleep it off. Thanks again, Professor," and with that he woke Ron and took him back to the dorms and put him to bed.

The next day, after classes, he went to see Dumbledore. "Ah, good afternoon, Harry. What can I do for you today?" Dumbledore asked when Harry came to his office.

"I talked to Slughorn and he said that Voldemort was fascinated with the number seven. I know we have found four of the damn things and was wondering if you knew where anymore are. I want to defeat _him_ as soon as possible and get on with my life," Harry said, thinking that maybe he could finally get some answers.

"Alas, I only know of two more. You see, Harry, the curse that was put on my hand was from a ring that Voldemort used as a horcrux. I destroyed it so the only other one I know about would be Voldemort's familiar, Nagini," Dumbledore answered, leaving out Harry's scar.

"So you don't know about the one in my scar? Or were you just trying to protect me again?" Harry gritted through his teeth, laying his cards on the table, he should've known this man would never tell the complete truth.

"You know about that one, Harry?" Dumbledore said in shock. He didn't want that revealed until Harry had grown some more. He wanted the child to have some semblance of a childhood, even though he knew his relatives didn't treat him as they should. He had hoped that Harry would have friends that could give him a reason to die, if only to save them.

"Yeah, the goblins took it out when I was visiting their healer this summer. Was this the reason you never trained me? Because you knew about what was in my scar? Is this the reason you felt I had to die? I hate to say it, sir, but you've just lost even more of my trust. It's only because I know you're a good man that I have any trust in you at all." Harry said the hurt showing in his voice and his eyes.

"Harry, I am so sorry. I never thought to ask the goblins. I felt that if I did not know, then no one did. It is one of the downfalls of living as long as I have; one feels they have all the answers. I have hurt you more than I ever wanted to and all I can say is I truly do apologize and that I felt it was for the greater good," Dumbledore replied, looking like he meant every word.

"I don't like your 'greater good', Headmaster. You have no right to play with people's lives." He waved it away. "So we know all of the horcruxes?"

"With six of the _horcruxes_ gone then all we need do is find Nagini and kill her. Alas, we don't know where Voldemort is hiding." Dumbledore knew that Voldemort had been killed, he just didn't know how or by whom, but he was keeping this knowledge to himself. Severus had told him about the letter Mrs. Malfoy had sent her son.

"I killed Voldemort weeks ago. He is now possessing Wormtail," Harry said abruptly, confirming what Severus had told the shocked headmaster. "I knew where he was hiding, but he is probably not there anymore. I have Kreacher watching Bellatrix to find out where he is now. But the wards won't let him know," Harry said with a shrug, he'd get that wraith sooner or later.

"Why did you not tell me, Harry," the old man said, his shoulders slumping as he realized exactly how much the boy had kept from him.

"I'm sure that he has more protections now that he knows someone can kill him," Harry continued, ignoring the question. "Tom doesn't know it was me. He knows I have the cup. He has his Death Eaters looking to see if I've sold it or he is going to try and get it from my vault. As far as I know he doesn't know about the Black family vault. Though, Bellatrix or Mrs. Malfoy may have told him. Gringotts has been informed that they might try and break in to get it. They are tightening security now."

Then he thought for a moment, going over what the headmaster told him moments ago and Harry exploded. He sprung from his chair and started pacing, arms waving in fury. You could feel his magic respond to his anger, the trinkets around the office started rattling. "Nagini? Damn it, Professor, I had that snake in my sight when I killed Tom, if you had just told me I could have ended this then! This is exactly what I am talking about, you keeping secrets cost us an early end to the war!" he shouted.

Then taking a deep breath he stopped and slumped in the chair. Yelling at the old man wouldn't help right now. His magic calmed and the office as still once more. He settled back in his chair and leveled the headmaster with a piercing glare; his emerald green eyes alit with righteous indignation.

"I'm not sure I can trust you to tell me the truth anymore, Professor and that hurts more than I can say. I don't like that you set me up to die. I don't like that you didn't think to tell me about the horcrux in my scar, and I hate the fact you're still keeping secrets from me," the dark haired teen spat, a wounded look showing clearly on his face. "What kind of man does that? Is it really okay to set a child up to die if it's for the 'greater good'?" he lectured in a tone that he was sure no one had used with the old man in a long, long time.

He wasn't sure what to think about Dumbledore any more. He just wanted to be shot of the whole affair. He was tired of having to watch his back every waking minute. He was tired of the chess master playing his games and treating him like a child.

"All I can say, Harry, is that I just wanted you to have a childhood. I see now that I was mistaken and that I have upset you. I am horrified that you had to take a life while so very young. I had hoped that it would be when you were more grown that the prophecy would come to play," Dumbledore answered, his remorse showing in his eyes, twinkle nowhere in sight, age lines predominate on his face, looking his 115 years.

"How is setting me up for 'ten dark and lonely years' letting me have a childhood?" Harry stood up angry once again. "We'll have to see if your trust can be earned again, Headmaster. Thanks to you, I haven't been a child for a very long time," and with that he stormed out of the office. He had to figure out how to kill the snake. He was positive he couldn't just catch it and send it to the goblins to have the _horcrux_ removed. That and he knew that Voldemort would keep Nagini close to him at all times.

More weeks passed and Harry spent his time behind the timer working on all the curses he learned from all the books. He didn't know what the power that Voldemort knew not. If Dumbledore was to be believed then it was love and after driving Voldemort from his mind with his thoughts of his friends and Sirius during the possession, he may be right. But love wouldn't kill Nagini. Maybe he could use the basilisk venom somehow. After all it killed the diary, if you could kill an inanimate object, he was sure it would work on that giant snake.

So he studied the potion books to see if there was a potion he could somehow get Nagini to eat or if there was a weapon in his vaults that he could coat with the venom he had squirreled away. He would write the goblins tomorrow and see.

He was so caught up with his studying that he realized he was neglecting his girlfriend and friends. When he became conscious of this he cut back, not wanting to abandon anyone.

It was now April and they were no closer to finding out where Voldemort was hiding. Harry was afraid that he was behind a _Fidelius Charm_ like the one on Grimmauld Place. He'd have to wait until the coward crawled out of his hole. Harry was confident that that would happen if he called the snake-man out because Voldemort wouldn't like to be seen as weak. Though he did wonder if Voldemort was indeed weak, like he was when he possessed Quirrell.

Harry noticed that some of the students were paying real close attention to him. Now he'd have to be extra careful. He knew they were children of Death Eaters. He was very glad Tracey and he never came out. He sent her a note telling her he couldn't see her for a while, it wasn't safe. She handed her reply when she passed him in the hall saying she understood.

He researched emergency Portkeys to see if he could make one that would take him to Grimmauld Place if he was hit with a _Stupefy_ or other stunning spell. When he found it, he immediately sent one to all his friends, and Tracey; along with the cloaks, wands and weapons he had found in the Room of Hidden Things. Anything that would give them an edge if they had to fight their way out of Hogwarts. But the Portkeys wouldn't be able to go through castle wards; still if they were hit outside they would be useful.

He spent most of his time behind the timer perfecting his fighting skills. He upped his time at night to the full two hours. He wondered if he would be safer outside the castle. Maybe if he went to Grimmauld Place he could protect himself better.

He went to Dumbledore the last week of April. "Sir, I was wondering if I should go into hiding. I'm think Voldemort is going to try and take me so he can get his body again. I've been studying ahead in my classes and I'm sure I could pass my NEWT's right now. If I'm away from the Death Eater children it would be safer for me, my friends and the rest of the school. So I'm going to go to Grimmauld Place," Harry said with finality as he sat in the chair in front of the overly large desk.

"I do not believe that that would be the best course of action at this time, Harry. I would like you to stay where I can protect you. In addition, while I am sure you have done your best in your studies, surely you are not up to NEWT level yet. There simply has not been enough time to accomplish such a feat," the old man answered, hoping that even though he had lost Harry's trust the teen would listen to him and know that he, Dumbledore, knew what was best.

"I think you're wrong. I know that Voldemort can't reach me at Grimmauld Place and since he is possessing Wormtail then he can get in here. Wormtail knows all the secret passages and knows how to get into Gryffindor tower. Since the Order is still using Headquarters, I think it'd be a good idea. I've been researching and found ways to keep myself safe. I won't leave the house for any reason other than to kill Nagini. If we can kill her before Voldemort gains a body, then maybe this war will be over," Harry argued. He knew he had the upper hand. He really didn't need the Headmaster's permission. He was an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world.

"I have complete confidence that you are doing your best to protect yourself, Harry. I think it unwise for you to leave the castle. There is no safer place for you then here," Dumbledore said he steeled his voice as if to have the final word.

"I don't agree with that, I've had to fight for my life every year I've been here. I'm really not asking your permission, sir, I was just hoping that you would discuss it with me as two adults. As usual I was wrong. So I'm now stating that I'll be leaving Hogwarts and going to Grimmauld Place. If you are worried about my school work, you can plan something out with the professors. Same for the end of the year test. Like I said, I've been studying and can take my NEWT's today and pass. However, if you feel it's best that I finish this year's study, I'll take your advice on school stuff," the determined teen said, trying to compromise. After all, this man was in charge of his education.

"If you feel this is the best then I will not hinder you," the Headmaster said, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "I will talk to your professors about your assignments and we will have them sent to Headquarters so you can complete them. Fawkes, I am sure, will be thrilled to deliver them. We need to work together, Harry. I recognize, I still have to earn your trust again and I would like to do so." He really didn't like this independent Harry, but he knew there was little he could do. The young man was considered an adult.

"Thanks for that, sir. If Kreacher hears of anymore attacks I'll be sure to let you know. Can I Floo you here in the office in case of an emergency?" he asked, glad that he hadn't had to fight harder. Maybe, there was hope yet.

"Yes, you can Floo the office. The address is 'Hogwarts; Headmaster's Office' and the password, right now, is Canary Creams. Also you can talk to Phineas and he will relay your message or you can call for Fawkes, he can find me anytime," the old man said, gesturing to the portraits and the phoenix.

"Okay, I have to tell my friends that I'll be leaving and then I'll go," Harry said as he got up to leave the office. He didn't tell Dumbledore that he already knew about the portrait. It was a good thing that he wasn't going to be discussing personal business with any of the portraits in Grimmauld Place.

"I am sorry it has come to this, Harry. I am sure this will be over soon," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Goodnight, Headmaster."

"Goodnight, Harry"

Harry left the office to go and find his friends. He found Ron and Hermione in the common room, but didn't see Neville or Ginny anywhere. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving to go to Headquarters tonight. I didn't want to go without telling you," he said after he cast the _Muffliato_ spell.

"Why are you leaving now? Has something happened?" Hermione asked in a bit of a panic, looking around frantically as if trying to find the enemy.

"Yeah, Voldemort lost his body and is now possessing Wormtail. He'll be looking for a way to get another and I want to be out of the castle so he doesn't come here. Some of the children of Death Eaters are watching me very closely and I don't feel safe here anymore," Harry answered, hedging around the truth.

"How did he lose his body?" Ron asked, scratching his nose. "Why haven't we heard about it? I mean, that's big news."

"I don't know," Harry lied, his face showing confusion so they couldn't tell. "I had Kreacher follow Bellatrix and he was the one who saw Voldemort possess Wormtail." He didn't want his friends to know that he was a cold blooded killer. They didn't need to know the truth right now. Maybe after the war.

"That was pretty smart of you, Harry. I wish I had thought of it. Are you sure that leaving will be the best thing? Maybe you should stay here where Dumbledore can protect you," Hermione asked, thinking that Harry was doing something rash, as usual.

"What about Quidditch?" Ron asked at the same time.

"You'll have to use Ginny as seeker. We've won our first two games I'm sure she won't let you down. She did pretty good last year," Harry answered Ron first then turned to his harder to convince friend. "Hermione, you know that there are children of Death Eaters here in the castle. You know that last time Voldemort was without a body he did everything in his power to get to me. Cedric died just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wormtail can get into the castle at any time and we would never know until it was too late. I can't watch the map all day and night. I don't feel safe here and I don't want him coming here to get me. I know he's not above using the students," he explained patiently, hoping for once she would just believe him.

"I'm still not sure you should do this, Harry. The Headmaster is the greatest wizard in Britain, I'm sure he will protect you," the bushy-haired girl argued.

"Look, I've already told Dumbledore that I'll be leaving and going to Headquarters. I'll be leaving as soon as I get my trunk. You need to trust that I'm doing what is best for everyone involved. Let Neville, Luna and Ginny know that I said goodbye and why I felt I had to do this," Harry said, shaking his head in disbelief. He had thought they'd grown past this. Hermione hadn't nagged him in ages, except about that damn book.

He stood up to leave before they could argue anymore and went to pack his trunk. He shrunk it and put it in his pocket. Then he made his way back down the stairs into the common room and out the portrait of the Fat Lady. Ignoring when Hermione called his name. Armed with his map and cloak he headed to the tunnel to get outside the wards. He wondered why no one asked him how he would be leaving. Once he was outside, he called Dobby.

"Where are we being now, Harry Potter, sir?" the house elf asked when he appeared.

"We're in a tunnel near Honeydukes. I need you to pop me to Grimmauld Place. I'm leaving the castle for a while," Harry answered.

"Dobby will be doing that right now," Dobby said as he took Harry's hand and they popped away, leaving the school behind.


	18. In Hiding Again

**Chapter 18: In Hiding —Again**

_Not much changed in this chapter. I know the love scenes are a bit sappy, but I'm still working on romance genre. Revised 1/5/16_

_Thanks for your support. _

**Hphphp**

After they arrived at Grimmuald Place, Harry felt he needed to put and _Anti-Apparation_ wards up so no one else could pop in. Because if he could think to use the house elves, someone else was sure to and he didn't quite know enough about the charm hiding the house to know if it would keep out house elves. Dobby and Winky had no problem finding the place. On the other hand, Kreacher couldn't find Voldemort. He would look into that tonight when he was behind the timer. First he needed to write to Remus to see if he would stay here at Headquarters. Not that he needed to have someone stay with him, but it would keep the headmaster and Mrs. Weasley off his back.

**Remus**

**I was wondering if you could come and stay with me here at Headquarters. I'm going in to hiding so the children of the Death Eaters won't try and kidnap me. If you can, please just Floo over. If you feel you can't then let me know and I'll ask Mrs. Weasley. **

**Harry.**

He had sent Hedwig ahead, right after he made the decision to relocate, so he sent the note off with her. If Remus came, maybe he could convince him to spar with him to see if the spells he learned in all the books would be helpful and if he was learning them correctly. He would just tell Remus that he studied a lot over the summer and at school. No one needed to know about the timer.

He wrote a note to Tracey so she wouldn't worry:

**Sweetheart **

**You may not see me for a while as I've left Hogwarts. You will be of age this summer and I was kinda wondering if you would come into hiding with me, if the war is not over. I fear for your safety and want only to hold you in my arms so I know you are there. Please, think about it and call Dobby if you have an answer.**

**You know what I have to do and I want you to be safe while I do it. So, please, if you can, come and stay with me.**

**I miss you already and will think of you every night.**

**Love you always**

**Harry**

He also wrote to Neville and Luna:

**Neville/Luna**

**I hereby invite you to my house in London for the summer, either until the Dark Wanker is dead or school starts again. I don't like the thought of my friends in danger. I would appreciate if you could RSVP as soon as possible, so I can set things up for the influx of people I am expecting. **

**Of course your Gran/Father is also welcome. **

** Harry**

He called Dobby and asked him to deliver the notes before Tracey and his friends went to breakfast. He hoped they weren't too mad at him for leaving without letting them know. He'd better start thinking of gifts for Tracey, just in case.

Harry had sent all Salazar's books to the Black family vault, because they were very valuable and he had learned everything he could from them. The only problem with doing the spells in _parseltongue_ was he needed a snake or an image of a snake to speak or think it. He learned this while studying the books which each had a snake image on the top of the page that seem to always stay in the corner of his eye. Maybe he'd get a tattoo of one on his hands so he always had one available. He would draw one on there until he could leave the house.

Now all he had to do is wait and practice. He needed to find a way to kill Nagini. He was almost positive Voldemort couldn't make any more _horcruxes_ while he was possessing Wormtail. He was not 100% sure; however, he truly hoped so. Since Voldemort didn't know that five of his intentional and one unintentional _horcruxes_ were destroyed then maybe he wouldn't make more. Still he had Kreacher follow Bellatrix hoping that he would get the general idea where Voldemort was hiding. Maybe he could get him to follow Nagini when she was away from Voldemort, like when she was out hunting.

The Weasleys had moved out of Headquarters shortly after the children had gone to school. The wards on their house were updated and they felt safe there. He Flooed the Burrow and called out, "Mrs. Weasley, are you there?"

"Harry, what are you doing out of school? Where are you?" Mrs. Weasley asked, coming from the kitchen, wiping something off her hands onto the towel that hung from her belt.

"I'm at Headquarters. Dumbledore and I felt this was the best place for me right now. I was wondering if you would like to check up on me now and then. I have Kreacher so I know I'll eat, however I wanted to put your mind at ease."

"Why? You are just a child, far too young to live on your own. Do you want me to come and stay with you?" Mrs. Weasley asked the worry showing in her face. One thing he could always count on is Mrs. Weasley's mothering.

"I've asked Remus to come and stay with me. I'll know soon if he can. Look, you can come and stay with me during the full moon if it makes you feel better," Harry said, hoping that it would be enough.

"Alright dear, I'll come and check on you both in a few days. Thank you for letting me knows."

"You're welcome Mrs. Weasley. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, dear. Be safe," Mrs. Weasley said.

Harry pulled his head out of the Floo. He really hoped that Remus would come. He loved Mrs. Weasley to death, but she could be smothering and he really didn't need that right now.

Remus showed up a few hours later luggage in hand.

"Remus, it's great to see you. I see that you can stay for a while," Harry said, shaking the werewolf's hand, after taking his bags and calling Kreacher to put them in the room the man usually used.

"I can stay as long as you need. Do you have someone to stay with you during the full moon?" Remus asked in concern. It was his greatest fear —to bite someone. One of the reasons he never took dating seriously, though Tonks was pressing the issue hard.

"I asked Mrs. Weasley to come and stay with me then. She said it was okay and that she'd be checking on us every few days. I'll do my best to stay out of the way when the Order is here. I know you all think I'm too young to be a member," Harry stated, sitting at the table and offering the older man some tea, which he took gratefully.

"That is very mature of you, Harry. I'm sure you won't get under foot. This is your house after all," Remus answered, sipping the tea.

"Glad someone finally realizes that. Hey, Remus, I was wondering if we could do some sparring. I've been studying ahead and I need someone to test how well I'm doing," Harry inquired, it would be nice to have someone like Remus test his skills, dummies can only take you so far.

"I can do that, Harry. There is a warded room in the basement we can use," Remus answered, putting his cup on the table.

And with that they finished their tea in silence, just enjoying the quiet and then they said their goodnight's and went to their rooms. It was late after all. Harry figured that he would do his timer just like he had done in the summer. Not that there was much more for him to learn, but he needed all the practice he could squeeze in. And with those thoughts he went to bed forgetting to look up the wards.

The next morning, when he was behind the timer, Harry remembered them, so he looked in his books and found the ones he was looking for. He'd ask Remus to put them up as he didn't want anyone to know how advanced he was in magic. He could pass the books off as ones he found in the library. So he took down the timer, did his hygiene spells, changed his clothes, got the books and went downstairs.

Winky had cooked breakfast it seemed. The table had plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, and toast and bowls of fruit and beans. So Harry sat at the table and served himself.

Remus came down stairs shortly after. "Remus, good morning. How did you sleep?" Harry said, raising his tea in a gesture around the table. "Kreacher's made breakfast and it looks like he made sure there was plenty of meat for you. Have a seat."

"Morning, Harry, you are up early. I slept fine, thanks," the older man sat at the table and loaded his plate with all the meaty goodness. "What are you doing today?"

"Well," the teen said between bites of egg, "I found these books on wards and was wondering if you'd put up the _Anti-Apparation_ ward on the house. I don't like that people could _Apparate_ in or near the house. There's also one in here to keep out house elves not bound to the master of the house."

"I can do that," Remus answered, after sipping his morning tea. "However, Harry, you know that while the house in hidden no one can _Apparate_ around the house."

"I know, but I want to be safe. I'd feel safer if we put up as many wards as we can," Harry shrugged, he could put them up himself, but he wasn't ready to come clean yet. It wasn't that he didn't trust Remus, but then again as the old saying goes 'Walls have ears.'

"Okay, Harry. I understand and I'll put these wards and anything else if it makes you feel safer." And with that they finished their breakfast and Remus set off to put up the protections.

Fawkes showed up that night bringing Harry's homework and a note from the Headmaster telling him if he wanted to write his friends to send his letters with the phoenix. Harry agreed that it might be safer. He'd have Remus take all his replies to his fan mail to the Owl Post in Diagon Alley. Hedwig might be put out that she would have to stay in Grimmauld Place; however, it was much safer for her.

Harry did let her take the messages to the Department of Magical Education about taking his OWLs and NEWTs on Arithmancy and Runes this summer:

**To Whom It May Concern**

**I've decided that I'll be leaving Hogwarts at this time to pursue my education by self-study. I have already taken my OWLs in Transfiguration, Astronomy, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination and Herbology** **and know that since I have passed all my core subjects I need not continue with school. Last summer, I started a bit of self-study in Arithmancy, Muggle Studies and Runes and would like to take the OWLs on those this coming summer. Please send me a schedule so that this may happen.**

**I'd also like to schedule to take my NEWTs in **_**all**_** the subjects listed above. If this can be arranged, please let me know when you send the schedule for my OWLs.**

**Thank you for your time**

**Harry Potter**

He was thinking he'd have to take the OWLs first then the NEWTs. He hoped they were on separate days. By sending this letter Harry felt it was on step closer to getting out from under Dumbledore's thumb. His conversations with him this year let Harry know that Dumbledore would never listen to him and would always feel that he was right—even when it was shown that he wasn't.

Harry spent some of his time behind the timer revising all of his school subjects. Since there were no OWLs for the subjects that were no longer taught at Hogwarts, he'd just have to hope that he was learning correctly. He was really glad that he found those books though, because now he knew far more about wizards and their world than anyone was telling him and he can make the modifications needed for all the people who would be here this summer.

Since school was still in session Harry could practice magic in front of people and not get reprimanded. He did some cleaning and repairing charms on furniture and knick-knacks in the study just to show that he could and after that no one said a word. It was then that he started making suites for the families coming after school let out.

"Hello, dears, are you two eating well?" Mrs. Weasley said one day as she came through the Floo. She was carrying a large basket of food that looked like it would feed them for a week. "I know, I know, you told me you had Kreacher to make your meals, but given how he has behaved in the past I wanted to bring this little bit of food to tide you over until I can come back to check on you. Harry, are you getting all of your homework done? Dumbledore told me what you had arranged, so I wanted to check to make sure that you didn't need anything."

"Mrs. Weasley, it's good to see you. Here let me get that," Harry said as he took the basket from her arm and set it on the table. Looking inside he commented, "You know, Mrs. Weasley, there's enough food here to feed us for a week. I don't want you to tax yourself feeding us and the Order. I know you still come here hours before meetings just so you can cook for everyone." He set the basket on the table and gave the closest thing he had to a mother a hug. "As to your other question I'm current with my classes."

"Oh, aren't you a sweet dear? Always thinking of others before yourself," she said, patting him on the cheek. "You know how much I like to cook and now that all the kids are in school, I have plenty of time to cook for the Order and they do so appreciate it. I know some of them hardly have time to eat what with them having to work and do things for Albus."

Harry put up with her mothering in good humor. He really did love the Weasley family and they loved him as part of the family, so he could put up with some smothering — most of the time. Since he knew there was a meeting starting soon, Harry excused himself to go to his room on the pretext of doing some studying.

As per their agreement Mrs. Weasley stayed with Harry when the moon was full, while Remus was locked in the basement.

Weeks went by and Kreacher was closer to finding out where Voldemort was located. They did, however know that he was in Wilshire, but not the exact location because of the charm.

Kreacher did hear from Bellatrix, when she was outside Voldemort's company, that they were still looking for the cup. The older house elf couldn't learn of anymore raids as he couldn't get to the insane witch while she was behind the _Fidelius Charm_ and they went straight from the house to the raid. He had followed her a couple of times and then let Harry know where he went. Harry would then send a message with Kreacher to let Dumbledore know, so he could try and get there before too much damage was done or too many lives were lost. It didn't happen that way often though and the Order was usually too late to help.

Winky was still cleaning the house and no one noticed that it wasn't Kreacher. Dobby was still going through the Room of Hidden Things and bringing Harry trunks. Harry was using part of his time behind the timer to go through them, but wasn't finding anything useful.

The goblins sent Harry a dagger from the Black family vault to be coated in basilisk venom, which Harry had saved when he helped Snape render the corpse. Now all they had to do is find Nagini.

"Kreacher," Harry called.

"What can Kreacher be doing for Master?" Kreacher said with a bow.

"Kreacher, you're doing a wonderful job at protecting the House of Black. Now, I've another task for you. I don't want you to follow Bellatrix anymore. I want you to keep a look out for Voldemort's snake, Nagini, and if you see her stab her with this dagger, but be careful it has poison on it," Harry ordered, handing the dagger in its sheath to the old house elf.

Kreacher took it carefully. "Kreacher will do as Master commands. Kreacher will protect the House of Black," the old elf said with a determined glint in his brown eyes and with that he popped away.

Time passed slowly and it was getting close to summer. Harry was getting bored and wondered if the Weasley family would be moving in. He had heard from Tracey, Luna and Neville via Dobby and couldn't wait for when they got here. He'd have to explain why they were coming there in order to get Dumbledore to give them the secret, but he was confident that he could. Dumbledore always brought Hermione in for the very reason that she was close to Harry.

He was doing all the homework sent to him with Fawkes. Remus was good company and they dueled all the time, but he was an adult and wouldn't tell Harry anything that the Order was doing. The Order was still using the house as headquarters; however, Harry was banned from participating. Then again, he knew he would be. He did close down the library to everyone except Bill. If people wanted to use the library they would have to ask.

Harry got the schedule for the OWLs and NEWTs, but he wasn't sure if he could sneak away to take them. Maybe he'd ask Dumbledore to set up a guard those days. Dumbledore would surely not deter his need to take these tests, would he? Oh well, if he did Harry could take them next year as he was sure all of this would be over by then. He was really _hoping_ it was. He didn't want to spend a year hiding in this house, even with his girlfriend and friends. He would ask next time he saw Dumbledore.

A few days later Dumbledore came for an Order meeting and Harry cornered him afterwards. "Professor, there are some OWL tests I want to take and I want to take my NEWTs this summer and was wondering if you could set up a guard unit to get me to the Ministry? I will be taking them on separate days, here is the schedule," he said as he handed him the letter he got form the DoME. "I'm hoping that the war will be over before that, but if it's not I want to take these test as scheduled. I'll not be returning to Hogwarts. I also need you to write the secret down for me so I can give it to Tracey; she's my girlfriend and wants to come here for protection. Her family is going on vacation out of the country this year to get away from the fighting and she told them she would be staying behind. I also invited Neville, Luna and their families; I will need the secret for them as well," he rambled on.

The Headmaster was floored; he didn't even know Harry was dating, let alone that serious. "Harry, why would you jeopardize someone's life like that?" he asked in that grandfather tone, a disappointed look on his face, a look that made Harry very angry.

Harry's eyes narrowed, his lips thinned, his hands shook with repressed anger. "Are you telling me that I can't have a life? I don't see you telling anyone else whether they can date or not. You," jabbing his finger at the old meddling fool's chest, "keep telling me you want me to have a childhood. Well, teenagers date, you can't have it both ways. Besides this is my house. I've been telling you that for almost a year now. Just give me the secret and I'll pass it on through Kreacher with the instructions to destroy it as soon as it's read." His voice showing there would be no compromise on this one.

"Alright, Harry, I just want what is best for everyone. I will give you the address when we are done here. Now, about your NEWTs, are you really sure you can pass them, my boy? I do not want to hold you back if you feel this is something you feel you can do. I just do not believe this is the best time for you to leave Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, not really wanting Harry that far out of his control, but seeing little he could do to stop it.

"We've been over this. I'm safer here than at Hogwarts," Harry stated in frustration then sighed, running his hands through is messy hair. "Yes, I feel that I can pass the tests, I'm just asking for a guard. I can go alone if I have to, but I'm trying to reach a compromise with you. I know that the Order follows your orders." He knew Dumbledore wanted him back at the castle; however, he needed to realize that Harry was now in control of his own life. The only reason he was asking for guards was because the Order still treated him like he had led a sheltered life and he was bloody well not going to pick fights that were meaningless. He had bigger battles to worry about.

"Alright, Harry. I will set up a guard for you on those days. Here is the address," he wrote the secret on three pieces of parchment that were on the desk in the room. "You still have a portkey?" Dumbledore asked, hoping he could gain a little of Harry's trust back by doing these little things.

"Yes, sir, I have one that will bring me here if I'm injured or knocked out in any way. Thanks for helping me," Harry said, glad that they could reach and understanding.

It was now the end of the year and Professor McGonagall came to give him his end of the year tests. He felt he did pretty well. He was really glad that he had studied and had done all his homework.

Nagini was not going outside the wards in Wiltshire. Kreacher stayed and spied on the town hoping to catch the living _horcrux_.

Summer had come and Ron and his family, including Bill and the twins, did indeed move into Grimmauld Place.

"It's good to see you, mate," Harry said, clapping Ron on the back. "I'm glad your family is moving in. As much as I like Remus, he still treats me like a child. It'll be good to hang around someone my own age. I really missed you guys. I hope you brought something to do this time. I also wanted to let you know that more people will be showing up soon, so it won't be just us."

"Good to see you too. It must have been right boring being here all by yourself with only Remus for company. What'd you do with your time?" Ron asked, following Harry through the house, Ginny and the twins had gone to their rooms to unpack. The rest of the family was in the kitchen.

"I spent most of my time studying. There isn't a lot to do. Me and Remus did do some sparring. I even beat him a few times," Harry said, walking to the sitting room.

"Sorry to hear that, mate. That you have been studying, not the sparring," Ron said, rubbing his nose. "Now that I'm here we should be able to find something to do. I brought my chess set and some other games that I noticed that the house doesn't have," he said, pulling his knapsack around from his back and taking out the games. "It's too bad we can't practice our Quidditch. Something I'll miss about the Burrow. I'm glad more people will be coming, it can get right boring with the same people all the time."

"Yeah, I do miss flying. How did the team do after I left? I'm sure Ginny made a good seeker," Harry asked as he sat in one of the chairs, looking at the games his friend had brought.

"Well, we didn't win the Quidditch Cup; however, we did come in second. The team really missed you, but Ginny did a great job. Let's go play some chess." And with that the two friends settled for the time being.

Tracey showed up one week into the summer, after saying good bye to her family. Harry greeted her at the door with a big hug and a huge kiss. He then took her inside to introduce her to everyone.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Tracey. We've been dating since just before Valentine's Day. Sorry to keep it a secret, but you know how it is. I would have told you, guys, but you can't protect your mind and I wouldn't take the chance with hers, or your, lives," Harry said sheepishly, though not really caring what they thought, since he had the love of his life standing right next to him.

"Nah, I get it mate. If I were you I'd've done the same with Hermione." Shocking everyone in the sitting room, he didn't even mention she was Slytherin, which was something very new. Maybe, he was growing up after all.

"Ronnikins, I never knew you had it in you," said George, messing up his little brother's hair.

Everyone laughed and had a good time the rest of the night. Harry walked Tracey to her room and kissed her good night outside the door. He didn't want to chance going inside. "I'm so glad you're here," he said, stealing one more kiss and hugging her close. "I've missed you so much it hurt."

"Me too, you have no idea how hard it was staying at school, listening to people calling you a coward and saying you ran away. Why can't they make up their bloody minds about you?" she asked, holding him as close as she possibly could.

"Don't worry, dear, this will all be over soon. I'm going to write the paper soon and call Voldemort out. I know you don't like it, however we talked about this and we both agreed that it would be best." They had talked about everything, she knew more than anyone else. He held no secrets from her. Her family had taught her _Occlumency_ at a very young age and she was proficient. She even tested Harry and found some flaws she helped correct.

"I know," she cried into his shirt, grabbing on to it like she would never let go. "I know. That doesn't make me less scared. Are you sure you don't want to make love to me before you go to battle?" she pressed, hoping he would.

"No," he answered firmly, soothing her hair on the back of her head and let her cry. "I will _not_ take the chance of leaving a child behind. We'll celebrate when I'm declared the winner."

"Okay, my love," she kissed him once more and turn and fled to her room, tears streaming down her face from being denied once more. She did understand, but if he died then she wanted something wonderful to remember him by.

Harry sighed as he watched the door close behind her. He knew she wanted to, but after his life there was no way he could take that chance. When the war was over and if he was still alive, he'd take her away and marry her, but not right now. With another sigh, he turned and walked away.


	19. A Full House

**Chapter 19: A Full House **

**A special thanks to **Stargon1 **for helping with the fight scene.**

_Not much changed in this one either. Just some really badly written scenes, but I cleaned them up, so it should now flow better. Revised 1/5/16_

_Thanks for your support. _

**Hphphp**

The next day, Hermione left to go on vacation with her family and she'd be moving in to Headquarters when they got back, her parents were going away for a year on a retreat. Neville and Luna would be coming in a week or two. Their families wanted to go away, before they locked themselves in the house for the rest of summer.

The goblins told him that Godric's Hollow was now completely rebuilt, so Harry called Dobby. "Hey, Dobby, listen, the goblins said the house in Godric's Hollow is done, so when you have time, I'd like you to go and check it out, please," he said with an indulgent smile, prying the still hyper elf off his leg. He thought after all this time Dobby would stop doing that. "You can use some of the furniture in the vault. If there isn't anything there, then hit the second hand stores and work your way up."

"Dobby can be doing that for Harry Potter. Dobby knows what Harry Potter likes and Dobby will be making him proud," Dobby all but shouted, absolutely giddy that he had a house all to himself, and popped away.

Harry shook his head and hoped he wasn't making a mistake. He loved that little elf to death, but… well, he'd just have to wait and see. He went to see if he could find Tracey, she was avoiding him after they talked last night. When he couldn't get her to come out of her room, he sighed and spent time with the Weasley teens.

Dumbledore came a week after summer started. "Harry, I need to request a favor," he stated, after they sat in the sitting room. "I need to hide something here, where it is safe. I am hoping you will help me in this endeavor."

"I'll be more than happy to help, Professor. What is it you need hidden?" Harry replied warily, not knowing what the old man wanted now, but if it was for the war the he'd help.

"I need you to house the Malfoys. They cannot stay in the castle and we are fairly certain that Voldemort is using their house has his headquarters," Dumbledore explained, earnest look on his face. The castle was being rewarded and no one could stay there.

"You want me to let the Malfoys stay here?" Harry said shocked, eyes wide, mouth opened. "You do know, sir, that Draco and I don't get along. Plus, he doesn't get alone with my girlfriend either. He thinks she's beneath him or something stupid like that. Ron and Neville will go completely mad. I'm not sure if you've noticed, sir, but my house will quite full this summer," he said, shaking his head at the new twist in plans.

As it was, his house will be full from top to bottom. If he did this he supposed he could make the attic in to a two room suite with spells he had learn from Household Spells and House Structure. It was small up there, but large enough for two people. Put in a small common room, make sure there's a breakfast table and add a few books and they should be okay.

He and Tracey were already on the third floor, Neville and his gran were taking a small suite he had made just for them on the same floor, as were Luna and her father. All the Weasleys were on the second floor, if Hermione showed then she would room with Ginny.

That left the first floor for the library and a study. The ground floor housed the sitting rooms and the dining room and then there was the sub-basement kitchen with its table.

Remus had taken over the basement completely, which was okay it was only big enough for one person and had the strongest door and no windows.

"Harry, I am sure that you can put aside your differences to further the war effort. After all you did it for Severus. I have talked to young Mr. Malfoy and he has agreed to stay out of your way and be at the very least civil to everyone here, if he cannot," the Headmaster said, bringing Harry out of his planning. The old man's eyes were twinkling like mad, because again he knew best.

"Fine," Harry threw up his hands, he didn't want to be responsible for anyone dying if he could hide them. "I guess we can try. But I want you to know I'll not put up with him insulting me, Ron or anyone for that matter, not in my own house," he said, trying to come to terms with what he just agreed to.

"Splendid, I will bring them here tomorrow. I am sure that will give you time to set up some rooms for them," Dumbledore said, getting up to take his leave.

"Yeah, I'll talk to Kreacher about it," After the old man had left Harry went to his room and put up some silencing charms and called Winky.

"What can Winky be doing for Harry Potter?" Winky said now dressed in a new tea towel, this one had in big red flowers with little honey bees swarming around.

I _wonder where she got a magical tea towel. _He shook his head at the thought. "I need you to set up some rooms for Malfoy and his mother in the attic, just like the ones I set up for Neville and his grandmother," Harry said. 'I'll need to talk to Kreacher about him coming when they call.'

"Yes sir, Harry Potter, sir. Winky can be doing that," Winky said and popped away.

"Kreacher," Harry called. He really hoped that the Malfoys wouldn't be too demanding on Kreacher's time as he still needed him to find Nagini. Maybe he could put Dobby on that instead. "Dobby," he said aloud. "Hey, guys," He greeted, when the two house elves popped into the room. "I want to say again what a great job you're both doing. I need to change some orders around though. Kreacher, give Dobby the dagger and show him where you have been spying. I need you to stay here and wait on the Malfoys as I'm sure they're not going to want to eat dinner with the Weasleys," he ordered the older elf then turn to his little friend. "Dobby, I need you to go where Kreacher shows you and wait to see if Voldemort's snake come out of the wards, take that dagger and stab her in the head if you can. Be careful the dagger is coated with poison."

"Kreacher will be doing as Master says. Kreacher has not seen the bad snake, but Kreacher will be showing Master's elf where he has been watching," Kreacher said, handing the dagger to Dobby.

"Dobby will be doing what Harry Potter is asking. Dobby won't let the great Harry Potter down. Dobby will be a good house elf and be sneaky-sneaky. Dobby is a good spy," Dobby said, jumping up and down at receiving such an important mission. He took the dagger and put it in his pants.

Dobby still wore clothes as he liked them better than pillowcases or tea towels and Harry had given him permission. Kreacher preferred the pillowcases and Harry didn't dissuade him either. He wanted his elves to be comfortable.

"That's great guys. Kreacher remember you're not to talk to the Malfoys and if they get hostile you leave and come and see me. They're not allowed to punish you or make you punish yourself. Do you understand?" Harry said very firmly. "Let Mrs. Weasley take care of everyone else, you just do the dusting and such."

"Kreacher is understanding," Kreacher said with a bow and he popped away with Dobby to show him where he would be spying.

"Winky."

"Harry Potter is calling for Winky. Winky is getting rooms ready," the female elf appeared with a rag in her hand.

"Sorry, Winky, I just wanted to let you know that Kreacher will be looking after the house. If you want you can go to the Room of Hidden Things and work in there," Harry told her, hoping she wouldn't be disappointed.

"Winky is understanding. Winky will go when she is being done with the rooms," Winky said and popped away.

_Well, that's taken care of._ Harry thought, shaking his head in amusement. _Who knew that there would be so much trouble balancing three house elves? _It was going to be different with the Malfoys here. Hopefully, they would keep to themselves. He went to find Ron and Tracey and maybe warn everyone else.

"Hey, Ron, I just wanted to let you know that Dumbledore asked me to let the Malfoys stay here and I agreed." Holding up his hand to stop the protest, he continued, "I know you don't like Malfoy, Tracey doesn't like him either, and hopefully they'll stay on the top floor. They are hiding from Voldemort and this is the safest place for them. I've got Kreacher waiting on them and they'll more than likely not be joining us for meals. If they stay out of our way, I'm sure we can stay out of theirs."

"Alright, mate; I'll do what I can to leave them alone. This is your house after all. I don't like it but I'll try to behave," Ron said, showing maturity that he had only shown a few times before, maybe Hermione was rubbing off on him. "Gotta say, it's not going to be boring with everyone here."

"That's all I ask. Let's play some chess it has been awhile since we played." The best way to distract Ron was a good game of chess. "Then I need to go find Tracey and explain to her."

They play five games, until Harry excused himself to hunt down his girlfriend. She opened the door to her room and he let her know that the Malfoys were going to be there. She nodded her head and reclosed the door. Harry sighed; he didn't know what to say to her to make her more accepting of the fact that he had to fight.

"Hey, Mrs. Malfoy, Draco, welcome to my home. I've set the top floor for you to stay in. I've instructed Kreacher to wait on you," he said, greeting the two unwanted guest when Dumbledore dropped them off and gave them the secret. "I want you to know right now this is my house and that is my house elf. I won't tolerate you harming him in anyway. I'll leave you alone as long as you behave yourselves," he stated as firmly as he could, letting them know that he was dead serious. "If you try and disrespect me or mine I'll throw you out to defend yourselves. Dumbledore be damned. However, I hope that it won't come to that."

"I'll stay out of your way, Potter. I don't like you and I don't want to be here, but Dumbledore felt this was the safest place. We'll stick to the top floor and stay out of you and your _guests_ way," Draco answered sneer firmly in place.

"Thank you for inviting us to your home. We will respect your privacy and hope that you will respect ours. Thank you for the loan of your house elf. Will we be taking our meals with you or can we eat in our rooms?" Mrs. Malfoy said, showing that at least one of them had common courtesy.

"I think it's best for everyone that you take your meals in your room," Harry answered as he led them into the house. "There are many people that come and go in this house and I'm sure that they're not as trusting as Dumbledore. Though, I will let Snape know where you are so he can visit. I believe he's a friend of yours and Draco's."

"That will be divine," the mother said, following along, looking at the clean house she knew from her childhood.

"I also wanted to let you know that the library is locked down. I did put some books in your suite, but if you want any more you need to ask me first," Harry added as they passed the place in question.

"Keeping us prisoners, Potter. I didn't think you would stoop so low," Draco sneered.

"And that right there is why you should stay on the top floor. It's only common courtesy to ask before you borrow something. Which is one of the reasons I've had to lock the library up in the first place, no one seems to think good manners applies to my stuff. I'd have thought your mother would've taught that to you. She seems to know how to be polite," Harry snapped at the blonde. _Yeah this is going to be a fun summer._

"Yes, I did teach you to be polite to people who are hosting us, Draco. Apologize to Mr. Potter immediately," Mrs. Malfoy barked at her only child.

"I apologize, Potter. I'll do my best to stay out of your way and ask if there is anything I need," Draco said unapologetically with a small nodded of his blonde head.

"Let me show you to your rooms. There's a common room that you can entertain yourselves in and two bedrooms off to the side. I've told everyone who is living here to stay off that floor so you won't be bothered. Like I said if you want to borrow a book from the library tell Kreacher and he will tell me and I'll see if it's something I want out of that room," Harry said as he climbed the stairs with the Malfoys following. "I also want you to know that Tracey, the Longbottoms, the Lovegoods and the Weasleys are staying here, for the same reason you are. Be nice or don't talk at all. They're my friends and you're not, keep that in mind." He glared pointedly at the blond teenager.

"We will of course respect everyone's privacy, Mr. Potter," Narcissa said as she followed him up the stairs. "Are we free to wonder the house?"

"Of course," Harry answered, slightly horrified that she would think that. "I only meant that the attic would be your safe haven. You can come and go as you wish." A sudden thought came upon the dark-haired teen, something he had been wondering for a while, "Mrs. Malfoy, can I ask a personal question?"

"As long as I maintain the right not to answer it," She nodded her head.

"Ummm, if Sirius kicked you out of the family and dissolved your marriage, why and how are you still Mrs. Malfoy?" Harry asked his head tilted to the side a little as they continued to climb the stairs.

"That is none of your business, Potter," Draco snapped as he went to grab Harry, which made everyone stop on the second floor landing.

"Draco," Narcissa said, grabbing her son and pulling him back behind her, "that is for me to judge not you." She turned back to Harry and said, "Well it is really Ms. not Mrs., however Lucius and I decided that we would stay together in Malfoy Manor and live in sin, as the muggles put it. There is no law that says we can't."

"Oh," Harry said, rubbing the back of his head. He turned once more and started up the stairs. They came to the door of the suite the Malfoys would be using. "I'll leave you two here for now. Let Kreacher know if you need anything." And with that he turned and headed back down the stairs.

After getting the Malfoys settled he went to look for Ron. He found him in the living room. They played chess for a few hours until Harry begged off around dinner time. He went to find Tracey who was still spending a lot of time in her room.

She said it was because she was sad and didn't want to lose Harry. Harry got that; he really did, but he missed her hanging around. He had asked her if she wanted to leave, but she declined saying she wanted to stay near. They walked down to the dining room together hand in hand, her head leaning on his shoulder.

"Mrs. Weasley, Kreacher is going to be cooking for the Malfoys, so you need to share the kitchen with him. I don't know what they'll be eating, but I don't want you to have to cook two separate meals. Particularly for people you don't like," Harry told the matronly woman, when they came to dinner. He pulled Tracey's chair and gave her a hug from behind then turned to Mrs. Weasley.

"Alright, Harry, dear. I'll talk to Kreacher and set up a time we can share," Mrs. Weasley answered, taking something from the oven.

"I'll let him know he can talk to you about it," Harry said, sitting at the table to enjoy the wonderful cooking of Mrs. Weasley. He had a thought that maybe he could use the timer to learn to cook better. He wanted to impress his soon to be wife with his mad cooking skills after the war.

After dinner, Harry walked Tracey to her room and after some serious snogging; he went to his room and called Kreacher to him. "Kreacher, I'm giving you permission to talk to Mrs. Weasley about sharing the kitchen. That's all you can talk to her about. If she ask about the Malfoys don't answer. They have a right to their privacy, well unless they're doing something harmful to someone in this house. Then I want you to let me know right away," Harry instructed. "I also told the Malfoys that they could borrow books from the library, but only if they tell you what they want and you come and tell me and I'll get it for them, if I think they are ones that are okay to leave the library."

"Kreacher will do as Master says," Kreacher said with a bow and popped away.

A week after his mission was assigned, Dobby came back. The excitable house elf came to Harry after everyone was in bed, jumping up and down on the bed with the dagger still in his hand. He seemed really proud with what he had just done and Harry guessed that he probably should be.

_**Dobby's Fight Scene**_

"Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Dobby is doing what Harry Potter is telling him to do," the little house elf yelled. Harry quickly put up a silencing charm and listened to the little elf's tale.

"The big snakey comes out of the wards, sneaky, sneaky, through the tall grasses," he was making slithering motions with long, thin arms in front of his body…

"But Dobby is still seeings it," the dagger steady in his right hand; body posing in a stalking manner; eyes narrowing in concentration; spindly, sock covered feet planting firmly on the bed…

"And then Dobby is jumping its back," the little body exploded off of the bed with his right hand raising high above head, left making a grabbing gesture; hats flying everywhere, legs wide apart, mouth open in a yell — Harry had to admit as he watched the little elf, Dobby looked scary — …

"And then the snakey is trying to bites Dobby," snapping of his mouth, green eyes glittering with excitement, the little body jumping away as if retreating...

"But Dobby jumps on the snakey's back," he launched off of the floor as if attacking and landed, one long fingered hand grabbing the imaginary snake and holding it to the ground, his legs in a straddling stance…

"And then Dobby is taking the knifey," he held up the dagger again…

"And stabbing the snakey in the head like Harry Potter is telling him to." Dobby made vicious stabbing motions, with a hard look on his usually happy face…

"But the head is being too hard," his face morphed to a surprised look as the dagger slid to the side as if missing its target….

"So Dobby is cutting the head clean off," and he swiped his right hand in the air, his left hand in a choking hold on the floor…

"And the snakey is dying, sir." Standing up, he held a stiff hand in front of his body in upright manner, before dropping it to the side so that it lay flat…

"Then Dobby is seeing a dark smoke coming out if the snakey after it's being dead." He made a mystical motion, his hands and fingers weaving in the air around his head, mouth in an O formation…

"Then Dobby is hearing the most awful screaming," his face transformed into a horrified look, his eyes widening with fright and his mouth hanging open, his hands wrapping around his ears, his body crouching on the floor.

"And then the smoke is blowing away and Dobby is not seeing it anymore. Dobby came straight away to be telling Harry Potter." Dobby stood proud and tall. His arms were lose at his side, his head held high in the air, his ears perked, hats magically collect back between the ears.

_**End of Dobby's Fight Scene**_

"That's great news Dobby! You did really well. Ummm, let me have the dagger now. I'll treasure it always and when the war is over, I'll let everyone know what a great house elf you are by making a plaque with your name on it and your adventure and then I'll hang it on the wall above the fireplace," Harry said, sticking his hand out for the dagger.

"Oh, Dobby is sorry for not remembering the dagger, sir. Dobby will be giving it to Harry Potter right now," Dobby said sheepishly, thrusting his hand out still holding the dagger.

"Maybe you should put it in its sheath and then hand it to me," Harry said, snatching his hand back before the blade touched it.

Dobby nodded, blushing embarrassedly — he was just so excited. "Sorry, sir, Dobby will cleans the knife first and then gives it to Harry Potter." With a snap of his fingers, the dagger was cleaned of all blood and gore. Then Dobby put the dagger in its sheath and handed it to Harry.

"Dobby, you did a great job. Now you can do what you want. If you want to stay and keep the house with Kreacher you can do that. Or you can go back to the Come and Go Room. I think the curse breakers are done with the vault though, so if you find anything Dark you will have to let me know and I can talk to Spearhead about getting them back in there. Or you could go back to decorating Godric's Hollow. I'll leave the choice up to you as a reward," Harry told the excitable house elf.

"Dobby will be going to Harry Potter's Godric's Hollow and making sure it's cleans and decorated. Harry Potter will be happy with it when Dobby is done with it. Harry Potter is having many pieces of furniture in his vault that Dobby thinks Harry Potter will like. So Dobby is thinking that that is what he is wanting to do," Dobby said as he nodded his head firmly, finally calming down.

"That's great Dobby. You do that," Harry said, still hoping that the house didn't look too tacky when it was done. He loved Dobby to death, but looking at the way the elf dressed, he was really afraid of what the house would look like in the end.

"Harry Potter will be proud when Dobby is done. Dobby will get started right away." And with that Dobby popped away.

Now that the snake was gone, all Harry had to do is get Voldemort out of hiding. Voldemort was the last soul piece to be killed. If Harry could call him out then this war would finally be over and Harry could live his life again.

He felt that he was better suited to be a teacher than an Auror and would work to that goal. Tracey thought so to, but she might be bias. They had put a lot of thought into this and found that he preferred as more sedate life style.

While he wanted to teach DADA that role was already filled, so maybe he'd study History and convince Dumbledore to get rid of Binns. After studying all the old books he found he really liked History and hoped that he'd be good teacher he could get others to like it as well. He couldn't be worse than Binns. Maybe he could write his own book for that class, Tracey would help, she like History well enough and she was a wicked author. He was sure they could make it interesting.

It was about two weeks into the summer vacation and there was an Order meeting set for tonight and this time Harry was determined to sit in on it. So when Mrs. Weasley tried to shoo him out, he stayed right where he was. "No, Mrs. Weasley, I'll be staying. I have something important to say. So I'm going stay right here until I've said my piece," Harry informed her, not budging from his chair. He kissed his girlfriend and told her he would tell her everything later.

She got up and left with a sad look in her eyes, knowing what was going on.

"You're too young to sit on and Order meeting. You need to leave Harry, go with Tracey and keep her company," Mrs. Weasley demanded, hands on her hips.

"No, this is my house and I've allowed you and the Order to use it. I'll not be told what to do in my own house. I've let the meetings go on without me before 'cause I had somethings I needed to do. Now that they are done I'll be staying right here," Harry said, determined to make her understand that he was staying. He ignored the questioning looks on everyone's faces. "Look, I know you're just trying to protect me and I do appreciate that. However, there are things that need to be discussed and I'm not leaving until they are. You're just going to have to except that," He said his voice softening a little. He looked to Mrs. Weasley willing her to understand that he was not a child.

"Ron, Ginny, out," Mrs. Weasley said to her two youngest. The rest of her family was already in the Order, but these two she felt were too young to join. The two left with Neville and Luna and much protest.

Neville wanted to be part of the battle, but he and Harry discussed it and Harry thought it would be better if they had a few more wands in the house in case things went bad. He agreed.

"Harry, what is so important that you feel you have to sit in on an Order meeting? Can you not just tell Dumbledore and he will pass along?" Remus asked with some confusion. He had no idea what Harry could bring to the Order. He hadn't seen Harry leave the house or make Floo calls.

"No. Dumbledore has a nasty habit of keeping things to himself. I feel it's time that the Order knew a few things. I _will_ have my say," Harry answered, knowing full well that Dumbledore wouldn't tell the Order anything.

"Alright, Harry. Like you said this is your house," Remus said, backing down, though still wondering what Harry could possibly know that the Order didn't.

Soon enough the Order was filtering in. They all looked at Harry wondering why he was there. Dumbledore was the last to show, of course. That man was always theatrical.

"Harry, my boy, why are you still here? You know that you are far too young to sit on an Order meeting. I am going to have to ask you to leave," Dumbledore said with his best grandfather smile.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but I'll be staying. This is my house and I'm an adult in the wizarding world. You can't make me leave," Harry replied firmly, looking the Headmaster directly in the eye. He will not be cowed into leaving.

"Now, Harry, I know this is your house, but you are not an adult as you are only sixteen," Dumbledore said, knowing full well that what Harry said was true; however, he needed to be in control of the meeting and if Harry let spill some of what he had been holding back he might just lose that control.

"You know damn well that being Head of the House of Black makes me and adult. That and my trial emancipated me when I was tried in front of the entire Wizengamot. So I've been an adult since the beginning of last year," Harry said loudly, not quite shouting. He took a couple of deep breaths and settled back in his chair and sighed. "Look, this is something else you kept from me, Headmaster. Well that stops now. You really have no say in my life anymore. I fully plan on taking my NEWTs this summer and not returning to Hogwarts next year, as we already discussed," he said, still angry by the way the man continued to try and take control of him.

"Alright, Harry, you are correct. Now let us get this meeting started," Dumbledore said to the shocked Order. No one really stood up to Dumbledore; well not since Sirius died anyway.

The Order members spent time telling what they knew about Death Eaters and what they were doing. There really wasn't much to tell, now that Voldemort was hidden. Dumbledore had not told most of them about Voldemort being killed and how he was now possessing Wormtail. He only had them following known Death Eaters to try and stop attacks.

Then came Harry's turn.


	20. Calling out the Dork Lord

**Chapter 20: Calling out the Dork Lord**

**A special thanks to Stargon1 for helping with the fight scene and Alix33 for doing the final beta in the first rewrite.**

_There wasn't much changed in this chapter. I did try to break up all the long paragraphs, but it is mostly and information dump and those are hard to split. Revised 1/5/16._

_Thanks again for all of your support. _

**Hphphp**

The dark-haired, green-eyed wizard stood tall and firm, making sure everyone knew it was his time to speak. He had important information to get off his chest and he was going to be heard.

"I want you all to know that I've come to the final step in stopping Voldemort for good," he said, pausing at the excited whispers and the grumbles of the people who didn't believe him, like Snape and Moody.

When they settled back down he continued, "Voldemort made some artifacts that kept him here on this plane so he couldn't die. I've found them all and they've all been destroyed." He ignored the questions and Dumbledore's silent pleas not to say anything further.

"I don't know how much Dumbledore has told you," he continued, "but I think if you're going to put your lives in jeopardy then you need to know everything. All I have to do now is get Voldemort to come out of hiding so I can finally kill him. What I need from you is to take care of the Death Eaters so that I'll only have to fight Voldemort. That's what the Prophecy says must happen," he said, laying it out on the table for all to see. He knew many of them didn't know what the prophecy said.

"Are you really so arrogant that you think you can take on the Dark Lord and win?" Snape sneered. He didn't care what Dumbledore said, this _child_ could not win against the Dark Lord, even if he was possessing Wormtail.

"I really think that I stand a chance at winning this war especially now that Voldemort is so weak," Harry said, looking at his most hated teacher. "I also feel that Voldemort thinks the same as you, that I'm just a child and that he'll have the upper hand. I'll call him out to meet somewhere, hopefully where there are no other civilians and we'll fight. I think I can get this done and would like to do it now before Voldemort regains another body. I know from my spy that Voldemort has sent his Death Eaters on a wild goose chase and that he has not amassed an army like he was planning last year before he was killed again."

Again the Order broke out in whispers; some questioned what the teen was talking about. How did he know Voldemort was killed and why weren't they told? There was clambering from chairs and people pounding their fists on the table demanding they be heard.

Dumbledore let this go on for a minute or two. He was upset that Harry was sharing secrets that he never wanted people to know. After a couple of minutes he raised his hand for silence and it showed how much faith the Order had that they all fell silent again settling back in their chairs.

Harry gave a huge sigh knowing a lot of the Order won't like what he was going to say next. "One of us will die; we can only hope that it'll be Voldemort." He was feeling pretty sure of himself, though he hoped he wasn't getting to cocky. He knew that he had been training for this all year and felt it was time. "I'm hoping, Headmaster, that we can use Hogwarts, now that the school is closed for the summer. I know you can take down the wards to the grounds and put them up around the castle."

"Harry, while I am disappointed that you did not come and talk with me about this first, I see no reason we cannot do as you ask. However, do you really feel that this is the correct time? I know I have not trained you to fight. I know that you hate me for that and I am truly sorry you feel this way. I do not want you to do this if you don't feel ready," Dumbledore said as he give Harry his best disappointed look that had many people over the years browbeaten.

"Look, I really do feel that now is the right time," Harry said, shoving his hands through his hair in frustration. "I've been training in secret this last year, knowing that you never would," sending a glare to the Headmaster.

"I only did what I felt was best," the Headmaster stated, yet again. "Why do you feel this is the right time, Harry? School has not trained you near enough to be fighting a battle."

"I found a magical artifact that lets me slow down time and have studied and trained behind it, right under your, and everyone else's, nose since one week into last summer. I found it after I'd received a letter from Sirius letting me know some of what he thought your plans were, Headmaster." Harry then explained to the quiet room, what he did throughout the year; Sirius's letter, the will, the vaults, the house elves, the timer, the books and the rest.

They all had looks of confusion firm on their faces, most didn't know about Black and that Harry had been made a Lord.

He continued on, "I also found a room in Hogwarts that has been used for over 1000 years for lost items and books. I had Winky and Dobby go through the room to find any useful books and items in there as well. Don't worry, Headmaster, as soon as I was done with the books I donated them to the library. I'm sure Madame Pince has told you about that. I also have a fund set up to donate to Hogwarts for any artifact that was found in that room that I kept. I'm going to have a few people assess them," He took a drink of water and plowed on, the room still hanging on his every word. They were hoping to be told more secrets.

"Anyway, I didn't spend all my time studying. I also spent it practicing spells and dueling. I now know wandless and wordless magic up to and past seventh year. Oh, don't look so shocked," he said at the gasps, "anyone can learn it if they take the time, no pun intended. I know I don't have the 50 years of experience that Voldemort has, but I think I can hold my own until I get an opening so I can finish him off. Especially since he is now weak and possessing a feeble wizard and he thinks that no matter what he really won't die." Harry took a deep breath after his long speech. It was first time he told Dumbledore most everything he had been holding back. He didn't think it was a good idea to let them know that he was the one to kill Voldemort in the first place. The Order only uses stunners and such things and under the leadership of Dumbledore, they always will.

"Harry, how could you go against Dumbledore like that? You know he is in charge of you and you should listen to what he says," Molly said loudly, jumping to Dumbledore's defense, as usual. "You're just a child and you should listen to the adults around you. They have more experience than you do. Why do you feel that you are the one that has to fight? Isn't it better to let us take care of that for you?"

"Harry, my boy, why would you do this? I thought you trusted me to help you. You know I have always done my best for you," Dumbledore said, trying not to let the Order know that he hadn't had control over Harry's like since last July.

It was too late as the cat was well and truly out of the bag.

Harry looked first to Mrs. Weasley, "Mrs. Weasley, I know you only want what is best for me, but you don't know everything, thanks to the Headmaster. The prophecy states that it will be me or Voldemort. 'Neither can live while the other survives'; I think it says, something along those lines. Anyway, didn't you hear me when I said that Dumbledore knew this and still didn't train or teach me anything that I could use to fulfill this prophecy? He was going to let me face ol' snake face unprepared, like he felt I had to die to win the war. You have to understand that I don't want to die I'd rather survive."

Molly sat back down with a thoughtful look on her face, so Harry turned to Dumbledore and said, "I was tired of you controlling my life. I know that you meant for me to die and I know the reason why. That doesn't make it any easier to trust you. So I learned to fight all on my own," he said with a shrug and then got a determined look on his face. "I'll do this with or without your help. I'm hoping you'll do the right thing and help," he argued and watched as Dumbledore flinched and the rest of the Order go as thoughtful as Mrs. Weasley. Some like Remus looked like they were getting angry. _Bet he didn't want them to know that._

"Of course, my boy, I have always done what I can for the greater good. If you think you can call Voldemort out then you may use the castle grounds to do so," Dumbledore said defeated. _Maybe it was time this ended. I don't have much time left; I will be dead in a month or two. It's a good thing Harry found all the horcruxes, now I can die in peace, _the old man thought.

After much conversation and explaining the meeting ended. Much of the Order was hopeful that Harry was right and that soon this would all be over. And not like last time when they thought it was over only for it to start up again many years later.

Harry went and knocked on Tracey's door. "Honey? We're done down there. Do you want to talk about it?" He heard some shuffling behind the door and stood back, not knowing what to expect. She might be angry or just plain scared and frightened people do weird things. She might attempt to hogtie him to a chair and never let him leave. He was going to do his best to comfort her though.

The door slowly opened and a pair of frightened sapphire eyes met his. "Harry, it's true then? I mean, I know it was coming sooner or later, I was just hoping it would be later," she said in a small voice. Tears were running down her cheek.

Harry immediately stepped forward and placed his hands gently on her face to wipe the tears. He felt awful doing this to her. Maybe Dumbledore had been right and he was just being selfish to want to have a life for himself. Some of his guilt and angst must have showed on his face, because the next thing he knew he his arms full of an angry woman.

"Don't you dare," Tracey spat, eyes blazing with a fire he had thought was put out by all this, "don't you dare try and take my feelings away." She poked him in his chest. "You feeling guilty makes it like you are the only one with the right to feel anything. I am in control of my own feelings, damn it, and you will _not_ take that from me." She spun to her room and demanded Harry to follow her.

The poor confused teen did as ordered and sat on the chair to the desk. "Um, okay, so are you angry that I want to finish the war? Or are you upset? Give the poor confused man a break and tell me so I can fix it."

"Oh, Harry, you can't fix it. Feelings and emotions aren't fixable. They can change with information, but they are never broken to begin with," she answered, sitting on her bed facing him. "I'm both and there really isn't anything you can to do 'fix' that. I knew when we became a couple that we might go through this, knowing and doing are two different things." She sighed and lifted her tear stained face to meet his eyes. "Harry, I love you and I don't want to lose you. I just want to marry you, have your kids, and live happy ever after. And once you kill the slimy bastard, then that's what we'll do. You are not to get a job as an Auror. You are to try and get the teaching position that hopefully you can talk Dumbledore into."

Harry nodded his head quickly, "Yes, dear, just like we talked about."

"Good, now come over here and tell me what happened in the meeting." she patted the bed next to her.

Harry proceeded to tell her what happened, what was said and what plans were made. "So I decided on the day before my birthday. I was thinking we could finish our schooling now. You can use the timer to get caught up on your NEWTs while we're planning the battle. I'll make sure no one bothers you. There is a notice-me-not charm on the device so that will help. But, remember just because they don't notice the door doesn't mean they won't notice you are gone." He didn't want anyone questioning her.

"Okay, darling, I'll do that. I don't want to go back to Hogwarts and those stupid backstabbers anyway. I'm just glad your friends stood fast in your defense. Do you think they're going to forgive you all your secrets?" she asked frown lines etched her lips. "Especially when they find out that you told me first."

"I don't know, Ron might, he seems to have matured a little. I think Hermione grew up too fast and is now stuck at fifteen or something. I can't seem to change her mind about anything. Remember all the grief she gave me over that book?" his brow furrowed in thought. "No matter what I said, she wouldn't quit harping about it, even after she said she'd drop it. I'll always care and be there for both of them, no matter what. They were my first friends and nothing can change that," he stated firmly then faced Tracey completely and put his forearms on her shoulder. "Let's do something now to forget these depressing thoughts," his hormones showing again.

The blonde girl smiled and said, "Yeah, let's."

They proceeded to do just that for the next three hours. A satisfied Harry went to his room to write to the Prophet and the Quibbler. He'd call Voldemort out that way. If he called him a coward in the papers then Voldemort would have no choice but to come to him.

_**Hey, Dork Lord**_

_**Hey Snake-face, I think it's time for this war to end. I challenge you to a confrontation to end this once and for all. One final all-out battle. We'll meet on the grounds of Hogwarts. Your people and mine. I'll be there at noon on July 30th waiting for you. If you don't show then you're the chicken shit I always thought you were, after all who hides off and on for twelve years in the woods of Albania, waiting for his pathetic slaves to come and rescue him? If you don't show then people will know that you're not as powerful as you say you are. They will know that you're scared of a mere schoolboy and they will never fear you again. I'm sure that your followers will feel the same way. **_

_**I'm tired of you, your Death Munchers and this war and I want to shot of all you idiots and your stupid ideals. If you die, great. If I died, at least I won't have to look at your ugly face anymore. **_

_**Dumbledore won't interfere with us fighting. That's what the prophecy said by the way 'and either must die at the hand of the other; for neither can live while the other survives'. That is the information you were looking for. Pleased to know it now? It will be just you and me. Dumbledore and his people will only be there to protect me from your minions. If they try and interfere then there will be resistance. **_

_**To the people of who want to have this world back the way it was before this slimy snake tried to take over, I ask that you to stay in your houses and protect your families on the date mentioned above. This is a battle that will be fought with Voldemort's people and mine. If you feel you must fight, do so at your own risk. I'll be there to fight Voldemort and cannot protect you. I'm hoping that the public took my past words to heart and trained so they can protect themselves and their family. I've done what I can to protect my loved ones, I expect you to do the same. **_

_**I call on the DMLE to protect the public. If Minister Fudge feels that he can spare some of the Aurors to help this fight then, he should send them to Hogwarts. However, I feel that he needs to protect the areas where Voldemort might send his people. Like Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and the Ministry. I'll do my part and I hope that the Ministry will do theirs. **_

_**People will die in this battle, which is what happens in war. If you come, come prepared to take lives. Or to have yours taken. **_

_**I have done all I can now the rest is up to you. **_

_**Harry Potter.**_

He sent the letters off with Dobby to his solicitor. He also enclosed a letter asking if he could see about getting it read on the wizard radio.

Now all he had to do is wait and train. He had already made up his will, leaving most everything to Tracey. He had had Dobby ferry it back and forth between him and the lawyer. With his magical signature from one of Umbridge's blood quills it was incontestable. Oh, he left his friends some things and the Weasleys would never be poor again.

It would be two more weeks until the thirtieth. He reckoned that by calling Voldemort out before his birthday and the OWLs and NEWTs summer schedule, if he didn't survive, he wouldn't have to take them and if he did survive, he could. It didn't make much sense to take the exams and then not be able to use them due to death. He didn't need them to prove how well he could do. He already knew that by taking some of the old tests he found in the Room of Hidden Things.

He still didn't know the power the Dark Idiot knew not, but he was hoping that Dumbledore was right and that it was love. Now all he had to do is figure out how to use that in a fight. He started meditating on the love he felt for all the ones he had lost, the friends he still had and of course Tracey. He decided if he got that feeling now he could pull them up when he needed them.

The next day, he went to find his friends and tell them what he was planning before they read it in the paper.

Tracey had already retrieved the timer and all the books Harry had used last year and was using them faithfully. She trusted Harry to do what he thought was best and after her emotional scene last night she was going to prove it. She was so sure he'd live that she didn't want to keep him from moving forward by holding him back. She was going to be a professor as well, when she graduated. Then when their careers were settled they'd start a family.

After a quick discussion with Neville and Luna verifying they would stay at the house, Harry found the Weasley children in the kitchen having a snack. "Ron, Ginny, Fred and George," he greeted them as he walked in. "I wanted to let you know that I'm planning on calling Voldemort out in the media. I want him to meet me for a final battle on July 30th at Hogwarts. I thought you'd want to know before letter I wrote came out," he said as he joined them at the table, grabbing a biscuit from the plate in the center.

Ron spewed his mouthful across the table and Ginny knocked her juice glass over causing it to spill everywhere. The twins just looked on with a thoughtful look on their faces; they already knew this they were just waiting for him to tell the others.

"What? Harry, you're nowhere near ready to face him. Why the bloody hell are you doing something so rash?" Ginny yelled as she tried to mop up the juice. She really didn't understand boys sometimes and that was saying a lot considering how many brothers she had. They always wanted to rush into things never thinking about the consequences.

"Do you really think you can fight him, Harry?" Ron asked, taking another biscuit seemingly unconcerned. "I mean, Dumbledore hasn't really trained you or anything. You told me that all you did was look as some memories. That's not going to help you fight. I'll stand by you no matter what, but I don't think I'm ready to fight Death Eaters."

"I don't think your mum is going to let you go to battle anyway, Ron," Harry smiled at his friend knowing that there was no way Molly would let her kids fight. He shifted his gaze to the girl he thought of as a younger sister. "Ginny, I've been training all year. It's just that no one knew about it, not even Dumbledore. I'm ready to do this and get it over with." He then turned to the twins, "Anything you can give the Order that would help in combat situation would be appreciated. I've given all the stuff I found that would be useful to them already. The same stuff I gave to you guys_, _Invisibility Cloaks, wands, knives, and other weapons. However, I know you guys have been cooking things up that would help a great deal. You two are the best pranksters I know, even better than the Marauders," he boosted proudly; they deserved it, they worked hard to gain that reputation.

The twins nodded their heads and went off to the side of the room holding a fierce whispered conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me, mate? I thought I was your best friend? Why didn't you train me and Hermione like you did last year," Ron said hurt apparent in his voice and face.

"Last year was different, Ron, we didn't have a good professor and as much as I dislike Snape he's very good at teaching the DADA, much better than he was at Potions. Besides, last year Dumbledore wouldn't even be in the same room as me," he shrugged, "so I didn't have to worry about him reading my mind. You don't know _Occlumency_, Ron, and for some reason Hermione can't learn it. I tried to get you to, but you didn't want to do the studying."

Ron thought a minute and then nodded his head. He knew that Harry had tried.

"Besides, I really didn't want Dumbledore to know what I was doing or he'd have tried to stop me. He has control issues. Look, I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you, but it had to be this way," Harry said with a look of regret on his face. He then broke out with a small smile after thinking of something that would help mollify his friend. "You're my best mate and when this war is completely over I'll tell you everything, you and Hermione. And I mean everything, because there are loads of things that you don't know. But for right now I need to keep my secrets."

"Hermione is going to be right cuffed that you hid something like this from her. And now you're calling a final battle while she is out of town. I hope you know what you're doing," the redhead said still miffed, but he would give Harry his space and let him keep his secrets. "I think you're right about Mum, she'll probably throw us in a body bind to keep us here that day," he acknowledged, rubbing the back of his head in thought.

"I still think you're being rash, Harry. But I'll support you in any way that I can," Ginny stated firmly in the stubborn way most women had. "Ron's right though, Mum's not going to let us fight. You should have seen her after we came home last year. She was very overprotective; we couldn't do anything without her being there. I think the only reason we have as much freedom as we do here is because we can't go outside," she shrugged. "I hope Tracey understands as well. Do you think she needs some girl time?" she asked. Her crush on Harry had faded over the year and she was happy that he found his true love.

"Maybe later, Ginny, I think she's studying right now. She wants to take her NEWTs with me this summer so she doesn't have to return to Hogwarts. Thanks anyway, that means a lot to me," Harry said giving her a hug, Ron a clap on the back to show his appreciation; he then waved to the two conspiring twins in the corner and left to the room. He needed write a letter to Hermione to let her know of his plans.

_**Dear Hermione**_

_**I hope your summer is going well. I have a few things to tell you and I know you're going to be mad at me, but I wanted to let you know before you read it in the paper.**_

_**I've called Voldemort out to face me in a final battle. Dumbledore has granted permission to use Hogwarts grounds to do this. I know you think I'm being rash and that I'm not prepared. I'll tell you the same thing I told Tracey, the twins, Ron and Ginny. I have been training in secret and feel that I'm ready to face him. I know you will be mad at me for keeping secrets from you, but it's something I felt I must do. I didn't want Dumbledore to know and since you don't know **_**Occlumency**_** I couldn't tell you. **_

_**I hope your vacation is not ruined by this news and hopefully I'll see you on my birthday.**_

_**Love Harry**_

He sent this off with Kreacher so it would reach her before the Prophet came out. He got a letter two days later letting him know that Hermione felt he was being stupid and reckless and that she was very upset that she couldn't be there to support him.

The article came out and there was a large show of support from the public. Most letters said they would do as he ask and stay inside to protect their homes. Quite a few wanted to be at the final battle with him and a small group of letters taunted him and wished he died. He burned those. To his supporters he wrote back two form letters.

The first one read:

**Dear (insert name here)**

**I want to thank you for your support. I'm glad you are staying at home if you have a family to protect. I know how important family is and know that it sometimes is the best to stay out of the way and do what can be done to protect what you can. **

**I know I have said this before, but if you know anyone living alone or in the muggle world invite them to your house on that day. Then you will have more wands in your house for protection. I am sure the battle will only be fought at Hogwarts, but why take that chance.**

**I'm hoping this will be the final conflict and that we can all live in peace after. **

**Again, thanks for the show of support. **

**Harry Potter**

The second one read:

**Dear (insert name here)**

**Thank you for your show of support. If you feel that you're up to fighting then I say the more wands the better. If you have family that doesn't want to fight send them to neighbors or out of the country on that day. I am sure the fight will only be at Hogwarts, but why take that chance.**

**Before you come to Hogwarts let me tell you what you will be facing. I know Voldemort has werewolves and giants fighting for him and I know that he was talking to the vampires. I don't think the vampires will be there since this will be during the day. I want you to know this before you come so that you will be prepared. I've other forces that will be facing the Death Eaters while I confront Voldemort. **

**Please, make sure your affairs are in order, like I said in my article people will die and I'd hate for your family to be left behind unprepared. I know most don't want to think on this but it really is better if you do.**

**Again, thanks for your support.**

**Harry Potter**

One week before the battle Harry talked to Dumbledore.

"Sir, I was wondering if you've talked to the centaurs. I think they're needed to protect the forest and keep the creatures in there that might fight with the other side. I also need you to talk to Hagrid and have him talk to Gawp. I know Voldemort has giants with him and we might need those two. I know Remus has talked to a few werewolves that might join our group. I know the goblins are staying neutral in this 'cause they're protecting the bank. I've had a few people say they'll join and I've let them know what they'll be facing. I just need to know that the Order has enough people to hold off Voldemort's forces," Harry suggested since it was the old man who was creating a battle plan with the Order. He had sat in on those meetings and they needed to know that there would be more people.

"Alas, I was just going to call an Order meeting to discuss just these things. I have talked to the centaurs and they feel that it is their duty to protect the forest and that is all," Dumbledore said, nodding knowingly.

Harry just shrugged that's all he wanted them to do anyway.

"They said something about the stars telling them they would not be needed. Hagrid informed me that he and his brother will be joining us. I am saddened to know the public will also have people in this battle. I just hope they will know what they are doing. I am proud that you let them know what they will be facing. I never wanted this is to happen while you are so young. I feel that the Order will be more than sufficient in stopping Voldemort's forces," Dumbledore continued with a heavy heart. He was dismayed that so many may be facing their death.

"That is good to know, sir," Harry said then looked at his Headmaster his face grim. "Things are still not good between us, but we have to fight together to end this war," He stated. Maybe when it was over they would hash it out, but for now they would fight together. He still didn't know that Dumbledore was dying.

"And that is to my every regret, my boy. I only hope we are both still standing when it all ends that we can reason with each other and come to terms," Dumbledore said with a sad look in his eye. He really didn't want to go to his next great adventure knowing that Harry hated him. He never once considered he had done anything wrong and hoped to convey to the boy that it was all for the greater good.

The day of the battle finally dawned. Harry stood on Hogwarts grounds waiting for Voldemort to show. They had quite an army ready and waiting.

Just after noon Voldemort/Wormtail showed with their army.

Harry shivered. He was right; there were giants and werewolves aplenty. Thankfully, as Voldemort had decided to attack during the day, there wouldn't be any vampires for them to contend with.

"So, Harry Potter, we meet again. I hope you're prepared to die," Voldemort hissed from the back of Wormtail's head.

"I've been waiting to meet you again, Tom. I'm prepared to face you," Harry replied, knowing that calling Voldemort 'Tom' would make him angry.

"Don't call me that," Voldemort shouted.

"Why not? It's your name."

"This ends today, Harry Potter." And with that the spirit left Wormtail only to descend upon Harry.

_So that's his plan; well I drove him out once before, I can do it again_. Harry prepared his mind for the coming fight.

The mist that was Voldemort dove into Harry and the battle of the minds began. It was just as painful as last time. Harry called up the feelings he had been meditating on and felt all the love he felt for Tracey, the children they would have, his friends, his family, and his lost loved ones — even, to some small degree, the wizarding world. As he knew they would, the feelings gave him hope and made him feel stronger than the vile being fighting him inside his head.

Voldemort was concentrating on all the hate that he felt for Harry, muggles in general and towards his family. His feelings were something that he'd held tightly to for a long time and he too felt he was on the winning end of this conflict of wills.

The battle was tough and draining on both combatants. Their minds met and pain exploded. Harry's head felt as though it was about to shatter, but he pushed through it, knowing that this had to end.

While the Battle of Minds was being fought, the rest of the Order was intent on holding off the Death Eaters.

Molly found herself facing off against Bellatrix.

"Oh, Mama Weasley feels she can fight me? Where are your ickle babies, then? When I'm done here with you, I'm going to find each and every one of them and tell them what a pathetic fighter you are," Bellatrix taunted, cackling like the mad woman she was; Azkaban had made her much worse.

"You will never have my children, you hateful bitch," Molly retorted, completely out of character. She started fighting harder throwing curses at the crazy woman, dancing around the battlefield to avoid the ones coming at her. It didn't take long for both women to be wounded and bleeding.

"Oh, I'm going to have so much fun torturing your 'ittle bitty boys! Do you honestly think that they'll survive? I might just let my husband have at your precious ickle girl, maybe getting a child out of it that I can raise to hate people like you. Oh, the pain she will feel from that. Poor 'ittle Mama Weasley not there to protect her children," Bellatrix goaded, casting dark curse after dark curse at Molly.

Molly, having been trained by Dumbledore, had little knowledge on how to actually kill people. What she did have was a great deal of familiarity with cooking and in a desperate attempt to protect her children, she cast the spell that she used to cut up meat.

Seeing a simply household spell, Bellatrix cackled madly, even as she ignored it. What she didn't take into account was what it could do. The pale yellow spell slipped past the crazed witch's defenses, impacting with Bellatrix's neck. Almost in slow motion, the deranged woman's head tipped backwards, severed from her body, before falling to the ground and rolling to a stop when her body crumpled upon it.

Panting at the excursion, Molly gave her brow a swipe with her arm before turning to continue the fighting.

Across the field, Remus had found himself paired up against Greyback, the werewolf that had turned him as a young boy.

"You should've come to me and joined our pack. You never should've gone to this school. It is not the way of the wolf. We seek strength, not learning. You're not worthy of fighting me and I will take you down like the pathetic cur you are," the alpha male growled at Remus, deranged at the fact that this mangy mutt had been handed privileges that he didn't get.

Remus didn't even bother to reply, instead, he simply launched himself at Greyback. The two werewolves set about attempting to tear each other to pieces using their hands and teeth, the very epitome of the half-breeds that they were. As they rolled around and around the ground, each one gaining dominance for a tiny fraction of time before their enemy managed to reverse the table, the ground under them was being ripped to shreds.

Twisting himself into a situation that he didn't think was even possible, Remus managed to get his mouth into the perfect position to bite into Greyback's neck. The artery punctured, hot, wet, sticky blood spurted out, drenching the two men in a scarlet river. In the end, not even werewolves could heal fast enough to stop that type of blood flow.

Remus panted, grateful for the time that he'd spent learning about the human body, enabling him to know exactly where and how much pressure it would take to cause such a deadly wound. It was with great sense of satisfaction that he kicked the dying werewolf and spat in his face, "You will never be better than me."

Then he too, scrambled to his feet, turned and rejoined the fight. He may be severely injured, but he had a cub to protect.

Hagrid and Gawp, meanwhile were fighting the giants. There were three giants on Voldemort's side and only the two of them, but even still, they were making a great show of it. With Hagrid's knowledge of weapons, the tide quickly turned in their favor.

The remainder of the Order, together with the citizens of the magical world, was holding off the rest of the Death Eaters.

Finally, after what felt hours, if not days of mental battle, Harry managed to drive Voldemort out of his head. Panting heavily, he bent at the waist, resting his hands on his knees. The wraith, now greatly weakened, retreated back to Wormtail.

"Had enough, Tom? Let's end this now," Harry said, drawing his wand.

"Yes, let's," Voldemort sneered as Wormtail drew his wand.

The two threw spells at each other faster and harder than any had ever seen before. Harry, though, seemed to have the upper hand — all the learning from the mass amount of books that he'd studied proving to be a great help. There were spells being thrown that even Voldemort didn't know. Wounds sprouted on the two combatants, blood pouring heavily from both sides. Finally Harry cast the cutting spell he'd learned in the Half-blood Prince's book, causing a large and frightening gash to form on Wormtail's chest.

The traitor fell to his knees, hands clutched tightly against his chest, his wand dropped to the dirt, dying. Voldemort, not knowing how to heal this wound, fled Wormtail's bleeding body, looking for something else to possess, hoping that he could get away to rise again another day. He still didn't know that all his horcruxes were gone and that, if whatever body he possessed died, then so would he. Spotting a snake on the ground he dove towards it.

Harry, with his seeker eyes and reflexes, saw where Voldemort escaped to and followed closely. He drew the poisoned dagger out of his pants as he was running and right as Voldemort possessed the snake, he drove it through its head with all his might. A loud, unearthly screech was heard, causing the whole battle to pause and watch. Finally, the screaming stopped. Voldemort was no more.

With the death of their leader all the Dark Marks flared causing the Death Eaters to grasp their arms in pain. As the mark disappeared, the Order took the advantage, capturing or killing those that they were fighting.

The fact that Bellatrix and Greyback were dead was a great relief to everyone. The giants, seeing they were on the losing end, fled. The remaining werewolves were captured with the Death Eaters to stand trial. Most, of course, would die, simply because of the laws, but they chose to fight with the Dark so Harry had little sympathy for them.

They had lost a few members of the Order and one or two civilians. One of the dead was Remus. He'd been too badly wounded in his fight with Greyback and Harry grieved for the last of the Marauders. He didn't know anyone else but felt bad for them anyway.

The war was finally over.

Now he could live.

**Hphphp**

_I've deleted the final chapter and will re-post it tomorrow. I did try and get it all done today, but my eyes are wiggy and my neck hurts. Never mind, I posted it today.  
_


	21. The Aftermath

**Chapter 21: The Aftermath**

**One of my reviewers for Breaking Free, **Calebros,** gave me the idea for the history lesson. I hope you like it. **

_Not much changed in this chapter either, since most of it was pulled off the web, but I did rearrange paragraph in a more linear fashion. _

*****blah*** taken and adapted from Harry Potter Wiki. **

******blah **taken from another Villains wiki.**

**Hphphp**

After Harry heard the casualty lists, he _Apparated_ directly outside GrimmauldPlace without waiting to be tended to. He had a personal mission to complete and no amount of pain or blood was going to stop him. He ran to the door and flung it open. He ignored the questions thrown his way and ran up the stairs. He banging on Tracey's door and yelled for her. The door was wretched open and he heard her gasp.

"Harry, Oh Merlin, Harry," she exclaimed seeing her bloody and beaten up boyfriend at her door. His clothes were torn and his body was gashed in many places. She couldn't seem to find a place that wasn't covered in blood. His hair was in complete disarray and his left arm was hanging useless beside him, he seemed to be favoring his right leg. However, he had a goofy grin showing through all the blood and grim and since he was here and not still fighting she could only come to one conclusion.

"We won, didn't we? It's finally over. Get your arse in here and lay down before you fall." She grabbed the part of his arm that looked to be undamaged, which was his upper right arm and slowly led him to the bed.

"Yeah, I killed the bastard and he's not coming back this time," Harry said, letting himself be tugged to the bed. He really needed to lie down, but first he needed to ask something. "Tracey I need to know… will you will marry me? It was my love for you that helped me win. Please, say you'll be my wife," you could hear the pleading behind the pain.

"Don't be stupid, of course I'll marry you. You'll never get away again," she answered more concerned about his wounds than doing something they'd already talked about.Later she would make him ask again, in better surroundings, but for now he needed to be tended to.

Though Harry was still injured, not badly, because magic was a wonderful thing, he celebrated his birthday with his fiancée, while everyone was celebrating the final downfall of Voldemort.They took their OWLs and NEWTs like they had planned and Harry did study History and was hoping to be taken on as a Professor for History until the DADA spot was open

On the last week of August the Headmaster came to Grimmauld Place and Harry had one final conversation with Dumbledore.

"Harry, my dear boy, I was hoping we could talk," he said after Harry opened the door. "Shall we find a place to sit and finally have our discussion?"

"Sure, come on in. We can sit in the kitchen. Dobby should have tea ready. We're going to be moving soon and I need to get this house ready to be vacated. So you're lucky you caught me here," Harry said, leading the old man to the kitchen, which still looked bright and new. The table was scrubbed to shine, there were chairs to replace the benches and tapestries hung on the walls with vibrant color.

"I have a few things I need to talk to you about, my boy," the old wizened man said as he sat at the table.

Harry noticed that he looked really bad, like he was feeling his 115 years all at once. "Sir, what happened, I thought you took care of the curse?" he asked, seeing the darkened hand cradled against the Headmaster's chest.

"Do not concern yourself, Harry, my time is coming soon. I have had enough time to make sure no one suffers when I go to my next great adventure," Dumbledore said calmly, he really didn't fear death —sometimes he almost welcomed it. He now felt he had been too long in this world. "I came to you today hoping we could clear up your misunderstandings," still believing everything he had done to the young man in front of him was the correct course of action. "I want you to know that I've always done what I felt was right for the greater good…"

Harry interrupted him, "What is the greater good? How is putting one life above another good for anyone? Do you really feel that you are above all us other mere mortals? That you can play God? Headmaster, I will never understand that. Just like, I will never understand that you let some people, good people, die while trying to save others that have caused more harm." He gave the man a glare. "There are laws for a reason you know. And it wasn't just one man making those laws; it was a group of men that argued about them and then passed the ones they thought would be helpful. That is what a government is for you know. You should know this being the head of two governing bodies."

"Sometimes even great men don't look at the bigger picture, Harry, and it is up to us to use our knowledge to help turn all we can to the light…" Dumbledore started to explain only to be interrupted again.

"Voldemort was looking at a bigger picture, as was Hitler," Harry spat, banging his fist on the table. "Their bigger picture is what they thought they needed to make a world that they thought would be more powerful," he said shaking his head. _Do all powerful men think this way? If so I don't want to be powerful, _he thought and then returned to the conversation before him.

"Now, Harry, it was not polite of you to compare me to those men. I only did what I did to help the wizarding world be better," Albus said calmly, sipping from the tea Dobby had placed in front of him.

"Headmaster, Albus, I think you've been in charge for far too long," the teen stated softly. "You know that is why Ministers can only hold office for ten years, so they don't let power go to their head. Don't get me wrong I do admire all you've try to do, I just feel… I don't know, maybe, that you could have done it a lot better if you let people know just what you were up to. It was the secrets that almost cost us this war."

"Harry, I do care for you and I wanted you to have a good life. I felt… no, I knew what I was doing was correct. With the prophecy and the _horcrux_ in your scar, I felt that there was nothing I could do to save you. Please, you have to understand, if I had trained you, let you get powerful and you killed Voldemort or he killed you before I could find the rest of his _horcruxes_ then the war would have been lost. You were the one foretold to beat him. The plan was, I would hunt the _horcruxes_ and you would be his main focus, as you were while you were in school. Please," he begged, "you have to understand I only did what I did for the greater good," Dumbledore tried again. He didn't want to pass this world with Harry still mad at him.

"That is exactly my point. You didn't talk to anyone about what you were doing. The _horcrux_ could have been removed from my head the day after it was placed there. Snape and others could have helped you find the others ages ago. None of my school years would've been as bad if you trusted people to know things you don't." Harry looked dead into Dumbledore's eyes and said, "I don't think we're ever going to see eye to eye on this. I'll try not to hate you for the hell you made my life 'cause I know you are a good man. But, I am really disappointed in the fact that you can't trust anyone, but you expect them to trust you."

The conversation went on like that for a half an hour, either man getting their point across. A week later Dumbledore passed on because of the curse and the wizarding world mourned him. He and Harry never really settled anything because the Headmaster always used the excuse that he did what was right for the _'Greater Good'_. And Harry never felt that was _good_ enough. Dumbledore's last act as Headmaster was to get rid of Binns so Harry could teach.

Dumbledore left Harry the other two Hallows with a cryptic message, 'May these serve your family better than they have anyone in the past.' Harry never wanted that kind of power; he just placed the wand and stone in his vault and forgot all about them. Many years later one of his descendants would accidently take up the Hallows and win a war against a Dark Lady, who was far viler that Voldemort. However, it was long after Harry died.

**Hphphp**

The Malfoys left as soon as the war was over. Lucius never got out of Azkaban and Narcissa and he did get remarried after Harry drew up a good contract for them. Draco when on to marry Astoria Greengrass and had at least one child, Scorpius Malfoy. Harry never knew what he did for a living or if he did anything at all, after all the Malfoys were richer than he was.

Hermione and Snape finally asked for their books and Harry was more than happy to let them have them now that all the curses were removed. When Snape came, they tried to see what path their faltering relationship would go. Would the truce remain or would they go back to despising one another?

"Potter, you know that when that mangy mutt of yours passed on he left me some books from the Black library. Now that the war is over and the Headmaster has gone on to his," Snape sneered with a painful look, "next great adventure. I require those tomes, if you would be so kind."

"Sure, I had always wondered why you never came and got them beforehand. I told Dumbledore months ago that I knew about the will," Harry shrugged and led the way to the library, it looked much better in here without the dust and the Dark magic that polluted the air. "Here you go, this is the potion section. Take the number of books left to you in the will." His face lit up with a wondering expression, "Hey, now that you don't have to worry about Azkaban are you going to continue teaching, 'cause now that I'm not a student I can tell you, you suck at teaching." He held up his hands in a placating manner, "You're great at potions, I don't know of anyone better than you, but you really do suck as a teacher."

"Stupid boy, of course I'm not staying in the dreadfully, cheery castle with all you dunderheads that can't tell one end of a cauldron from another. I've already moved out and Minerva has already replaced me as a DADA professor, so if you were hoping to take my place, too bad," Snape snapped at him a customary sneer polluting his face. "I will leave this forsaken country as soon as I retrieve these books. Not that it is any of your business."

"Well, I'd say I hate to see you go, but that would be a lie. So I'll just say good luck with whatever you do," Harry said, holding out his hand.

Snape looked at the hand with mild distaste; nevertheless placed his hand in Harry's and shook it. Though they had a truce with each other these two men will never be friends.

A few days later, Harry went to the twins shop to give them the timer. "Hey guys," he said as he entered the shop, "got some place we can talk?" he asked, looking around the busy shop. Summer was really good business for the twins. School would be starting soon and the students wanted to stock up it seemed. He was going to have to watch out if he was going to be a professor.

"Hey Harry…" George said

"good to see you. What…" Fred said

"can we do…"

"for our wonderful…"

"magnificent..."

"hero today?"

"Knock it off, you two. I wasn't the only one in that battle, you know. Anyway, let's go somewhere we can talk. I've got pressies, sorta," Harry said, waving a box in front of the twins' faces**.**

"Oh, pressies," The twins said together, leading Harry to the back room where they experimented. "Give us pressies now that we are all alone," The boys joked.

Harry laughed and threw the box between them letting them wrestle each other for it.

George finally won and opened the box. He saw the timer and the pamphlet and looked to Harry with awe. "Harry, are you serious? You want to give this up. Do you know what we can do with this? If only one of us uses it at a time we can create marvels." He handed the box to Fred whose eyes got just as big as his brother's.

"Yeah I know what can be done with that little beauty. I'll remind you to make sure you have a loo though and plenty of food," Harry warned, remembering the first two times he used the timer in his room at Privet Dr. "I've thought long and hard about this and feel that it would be best served with you guys. Besides, I do want it back when I have kids, which is what I meant by sorta."

"Harry, you are the best partner anyone could ask for," Fred said, jumping up from his chair and toppling Harry to the floor. Followed closely by his brother. The three joked and played around for a while until hunger set in and they parted ways back to their homes for the night.

It was a three weeks after the battle that Harry told Ron and Hermione everything that happened to him that year. They used the pensieve that Harry had found last year in the trunks. Even after all the memories were viewed, the other couple was not very understanding and chastised Harry for keeping secrets.

_Oh well, this was something we're going to have to work out, maybe it's for the best 'cause if they were really my friends they would understand. Then again if I was their friend then maybe I should try and be a little more understanding. I hope we can be closer in the future,_ were his thoughts after the second argument he had with the other couple. He'd still invited them to the wedding. Tracey and Harry had gone to theirs and he was ever so proud of Ron, he had matured a lot, he felt that his best mate would be the first to come around.

A month after the war Harry wrote one last letter to the Prophet.

_**To All of Wizarding Britain;**_

_**I want to thanks each and every one of you for listening to me, this last year. I'm hoping to make this world a better place. I want to remind everyone, the Ministry works for you whether you're pure-blood, half-blood or Muggle-born. We must **_stop_** the hate that is plaguing our world and work to make sure that the next Dark Lord that comes has little to work with. Ministry jobs need to open to everyone. Magical creatures need to be studied from an unbiased point of view and the laws about them revamped. **_

_**I have done my part and will do what I can to promote goodwill. However, it's not just my job to make the world a better place. That can only be done if we all work together. If you feel that the Ministry is not doing a good job —then tell them. They can only know what you want if you let them know. **_

_**I once again thank all those who fought and died in the last battle and want you all to remember those that didn't make it. **_

_**Thanks again**_

_**Lord Harry James Potter-Black**_

Cornelius Fudge was kicked out of office for letting the war happen in the first place, the reason it was done after the war was to not cause dissent in the Ministry. Kingsley Shacklebolt was named Minister in a land slide vote.

Months went by and his friends moved on.

Hermione continued * her education at Hogwarts. Later she found employment with the Ministry of Magic, furthering the cause for the better treatment of house elves, before being promoted to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Ron* joined the Aurors at the invitation of Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, in order to track down Death Eaters who escaped capture. Eventually, he went to work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes with his brothers George* and Fred, not wanting his wife to be his boss. *They soon had two children: a daughter, Rose and a son, Hugo.*

The relationship between the Potters and the Weasleys did settle down, but was never as strong as it had been.

*Neville briefly served as an Auror, before becoming Hogwarts' professor of Herbology,*working alongside Harry and Tracey,* and married Hannah Abbott. She became landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, which the couple lived above. She retrained as a Healer in 2014; and applied for the job of Matron at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.*

The two couples became close, and when Neville's parents finally passed away, quietly in the night, he got his full inheritance and they mourned together. His gran was none too happy about it, but they survived her wrath and raised a wonderful family. Neville took up the position on Herbology at Hogwarts and Hannah soon joined him. They left the Leaky Cauldron to one of their cousin, so they could live together at the castle.

*Luna became a Magizoologist (magical naturalist) and eventually married Rolf Scamander, with whom she had twin sons, Lorcan and Lysander.* They stayed in the Rookery and lived fulfilling lives.

Harry and his fiancée met with the Lords that Harry had written during school. They gained many connections and were working on doing business with a few. Most it was just social though. They did wind up having three children, after they married and were settled in Hogwarts. Their first son was named James Charles, second son Michael Evan, only daughter, Lily Rose. Tracey retired from her post as Muggle Studies Professor after they were born and lived with the children at Godric's Hollow. Harry would come home on the weekends. He never did teach DADA, but found he liked teaching History and maintained that position for over fifty years.

His first lesson went like this:

"My name is Professor Harry Potter, I'm sure you've heard of me," he smirked, looking around the class as they all started to settle. "I studied for years to be the Professor of Magical History. So I've done the research and now I'm passing it on to you." Snicker broke out and soon he calmed the students down.

He started by telling them all about the Grindelwald wars and the Headmaster's role in them. "In the last century there have been four men in great power, three, at one point, tried to take over the wizarding world of Britain, one was just caught up in the shuffle. That last one was me; you already know my story, so I'll tell you about the others."

*"Gellert Grindelwald was born 1882," the lecture began, "and was considered one of the most powerful Dark Wizards of all time, second only to Tom Marvolo Riddle, who later became known as Lord Voldemort," Harry said and glared at the gasps coming from some of his class. "Mr. Grindelwald was schooled at Durmstrang Institute until his expulsion. History is not sure why he was expelled, though rumor has it that it was for practicing the Dark Arts on students and faculty. The Durmstrang Institute is a Wizarding school that is notorious for teaching the Dark Arts. It is located in the northernmost regions of Norway or Sweden. We're not sure exactly where; they tend to keep it is a secret. Durmstrang has, however, taught students from as far afield as Bulgaria, according to my good friend, Viktor Krum, whom you might remember was a Tri-Wizard champion," he explained, pointing to the chalkboard that held the dates and page numbers in their new books, that he and Tracey had written.

Professor Potter looked around the room to make sure everyone was paying attention and then continued when he saw they were. "Later Gellert fostered a friendship with Albus Dumbledore, while living in Godric's Hollow for a summer with his great-aunt, Bathilda Bagshot. Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was the headmaster of this school, until he died in 1997. He was a half-blood wizard, the son of Percival and Kendra Dumbledore and the elder brother of Aberforth and Ariana. His father died in Azkaban when Dumbledore was young, while his mother and sister were later accidentally killed. His early losses greatly affected him early on, but in turn made him a better person.

"Albus Dumbledore was considered to be the most powerful wizard of his time. He was most famous for his defeat of Gellert Grindelwald, the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with Nicolas Flamel (we'll learn about him in another class) and he became, the Transfiguration Professor and later Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Dumbledore also served as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot," Harry continued on, in a sharp voice that garnered no nonsense.

"The two young men —Gellert and Albus— made plans to find the Deathly Hallows…," he paused seeing more blank looks. "The Deathly Hallows are said to be three highly powerful magical objects supposedly created by Death and given to each of three brothers in the Peverell family. They consisted of the Elder Wand, an immensely powerful wand that was considered undefeatable. The Resurrection Stone, a stone which could summon the spirits of the dead and the Cloak of Invisibility, which, as its name suggests, renders the user completely invisible. We will learn about the Peverells in another class," he said ignoring the grumbles. "According to legend, he who possesses these three artifacts would become the Master of Death. Though this is just that a legend," he informed them, with a firm look in his eye, confirming that this was not a fact.

He knew the Hallows were very real, but the kids didn't need to know that and he wasn't lying, he had no idea if they gave great power and he never would test them to find out. They were sitting in his vault right now, protected against Dark wizards looking for power.

"Grindelwald and Dumbledore wanted to find these and wield their new-found power as Masters of Death, leading a Wizarding revolution with the aim of ending the International Statute of Secrecy and creating a benevolent global order led by wise and powerful witches and wizards," Professor Potter continued, "Their partnership fell apart after the two were involved in a three-way duel with Aberforth Dumbledore that resulted in Ariana Dumbledore's death,* he summarized, realizing he didn't have much time with this class as it was almost over.

"Grindelwald then left Britain and soon stole the Elder Wand, preceding alone with the revolution he and Dumbledore had planned. He established a power base in continental Europe at the fortress Nurmengard. He was a highly idealistic man, but marred by sociopathic tendencies and his links with the Dark Arts. He was a revolutionary, operating outside the law. He was not a wanton killer or torturer," he educated them steadfastly, tapping his ruler on his hands punctuating his words. "But, he and his followers, in a single-minded and unpopular quest, committed numerous crimes, including several known murders. His allies must often be unsavory characters as well.

"In 1945, at the height of Grindelwald power, Professor Dumbledore confronted and defeated him in a legendary duel. Grindelwald was subsequently imprisoned in his own fortress for where he resided to this day," * he concluded the Grindelwald war, then he paused to see if everyone was writing his lecture down, seeing that they were he continued.

**"In the 1970 there came another more fearsome Dark Lord, his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle, he was born on New Year's Eve, 1926 in an orphanage in London. He was born to Merope Gaunt, a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin and Tom Riddle Sr., a wealthy and extremely snobbish Muggle. Merope magically tricked Tom Sr. into marrying her and kept him under control until she finally let him go, hoping he would have fallen in love with her on his own after, but he abandoned her without second thoughts. Desperate and miserable, she died shortly after choosing a name for her newborn son. Due to the fact that he was born because of a love potion, it made him unable to feel love and made him the monster he was, though it would have been different if Merope survived and loved him.

"We know he came here to Hogwarts, when he was eleven, he was sorted into Slytherin. He was top of his class and Head Boy. After being turned down for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, he took various jobs, searching for valuable artifacts. Soon after he gathered what he was looking for, Tom left the country to learn more of the Dark Arts. In 1970 he came back and started to gather his army. Most of you know what happened after that, eleven years later he came to my parents' house and killed them and tried to kill me. You know the rest of that story. What I want you to do for homework is research one of these men and do a twelve inch essay on what they did right or wrong and how things like these could be prevented in the future. It doesn't need to be in-depth, just show me you understand what I am trying to teach you. If you don't learn from history, it will always repeat itself," Harry said, waving his hand and letting the instructions appear on the blackboard. He wanted to educate the children that both of these wars could have been prevented.

This was a good place to start.

**Hphphp**

_Thanks for reading this rewrite of the rewrite of my first fanfiction. I worked hard on it and hope it is better than the first two. I want to thank everyone who supported me in both stories. I have a total of eleven fics, swing by and read them. They are all different. _

_Most of the history lesson is on another of my fics, a oneshot called 'Replacing Binns with Isobel', which is housed in my collection of oneshots, 'Little of this; more of that.' I mean, now in two of my fic, it is also in 'Potters Stand United'. _


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